Pink With Envy
by a passerby
Summary: SASUSAKU Sakura is a geek in high school. Sasuke is a hot athlete. Social walls divide them, but they fall in love. Tragedy strikes. But a twist of fate has them face each other again years later. Naruto's marrying who? Drama! NaruSaku-siblings. Rated M!
1. Chapter 1

_**Pink with Envy**_

A/N: I do not claim ownership of or infringe upon the copyrights of the Naruto series. I merely use popular characters for recreational, non-profit fan-fiction.

* * *

_"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life."_

- Winston Churchill, renowned British Prime Minister

* * *

_**Sakura's POV**_

Hello! Welcome to Hell. . .I mean, my life. No, wait. I meant Hell. My name is Sakura Haruno. I have a stepbrother named Naruto, who is only a few years older than I am. We grew up with my father and his mother, who raised me as her own. She is very pretty, and a very kind woman. There was never any doubt that she was the only mother I had ever known, since my mother died due to complications with my birth. Through our childhood, Naruto and I lived a pretty normal middle-class life in rural America with our kind and caring parents. We love them dearly. We also love our little town of Rockport. I skated through middle school with a few friends I'd grown up with. But a few years ago, I started high school. This began an entirely different story.

During the summer before my freshman year of high school, my stepmother insisted we finally fix my teeth, which were not quite noticeably out of line. But since I was about to get my wisdom teeth removed, it would have been a great time to do it. So there I was, with a not-so-attractive mouth full of metal. Not to mention puberty hit me like a ton of bricks. Not only was I suffering from that time of the month now, but the acne started popping up like crabgrass. My mother supported these changes, telling me that it was a rite of passage in my teenage years. Oh, how I hated my teenage years. My hair, which I had not paid too much attention to beforehand, had now become unattractively unruly. Any humidity in the air made my hair turn from long and stringy natural pink locks into a frizzy, tangled mess. It was very difficult to manage. With my high I.Q., I somehow never accomplished the discovery of a proper hairbrush or styling mousse. Or a hot oil treatment. Well, let's just say I had a lot of problems going on. A popular little taunt happened to be directed at my oversized forehead, as well. "Billboard brow." What bitches.

To top it all off, my best friend ditched me. I couldn't believe it. She was friendly with me on the last day of school, but she had already started hanging out with Karin and a few other popular girls. The mean bitches of the school. Out of the eighth grade class, we already seemed to have some well-developed girls who were known to be "loose." Karin led that group. That reputation only accelerated in high school. I'm sorry to say that Ino fell into that group, soon enough. Ino Yamanaka had been my best friend since we were teetering little toddlers. Ino's father, Inoichi, was very close friends with my dad. They worked together in City Hall. I'm not sure what Ino's father did, but it was very hush-hush. I believe he did a lot of investigative work.

Did I mention my father was the mayor? Well, he was. His campaign started not too long before I started the eighth grade. I thought that it might win me some "coolness" points, but I was mistaken. No one gave a crap. It was all about me and how I looked.

My fashion sense was. . .a rather dull sense. Definitely not a sixth sense. The way those girls treated me made my self-esteem plummet. My wardrobe tended to reflect this. My mother, as caring as she could be, did not help by buying me stylish clothes. "Being the mayor's daughter," she would tell me, "means carrying yourself in a dignified manner." Well, I didn't do that in those frumpy clothes that looked like they were donated from a nursing home. I wasn't allowed to wear a lot of makeup, either. My mother, an active member of the PTA, didn't want her daughter sending mixed messages to the boys. There was a message, alright. Nothing good, though. Just more opportunities to be tormented and ridiculed. I wore a lot of unflattering cardigans and loose-fitting, or _ill_-fitting, pants. If I wore jeans, they certainly weren't fashionable lowriders. My staple accessory were my thick-rimmed glasses. I loved them and grew attached to them because I could hide behind them. I felt like it was some sort of buffer against the things I heard and the shoves I felt on my back.

My slightly older stepbrother, Naruto, happened to skate through. . .just about everything. Naruto was talkative and energetic, and somehow easily made friends anywhere he went. Naruto also turned out to be very handsome as he grew into his teenage years and hit his growth spurt. Naruto shot up like a weed one summer, and the high school basketball coach took notice. Naruto tried out and made the team, playing both football and basketball in his freshman year. Both teams made it to the playoffs, with his help. But Naruto could only handle one sport, and he chose football. During Naruto's sophomore year, Rockport High made it all the way to the State Championships, but sadly lost in overtime. That was all thanks to the incredibly talented (and incredibly handsome) Sasuke Uchiha. These two boys were like night and day. Sasuke was a brooding, James Dean-like character with an apparent grudge against all authority. Needless to say, the city of Sandersville was not too reluctant to let him go. Well, they missed their best wide receiver. But if it wasn't for Sasuke's unbelievable skills on the field, they would have run him out of town of a rail.

Sasuke Uchiha was every teenage girl's dream. He was tall, reaching almost a full inch above Naruto. He had jet black hair that looked like it was casually styled in a strange, spiky hairdo. Sasuke came from money, so he had a nice wardrobe. He also happened to have a really cool car - a midnight blue Porsche Carrera, to be exact. His family had _a lot_ of money. The Uchihas and their wealth goes a long way back, so Sasuke was pretty much born with a _platinum _spoon in his mouth, so to speak. Who needs silver when you can afford more? Sasuke was also a bad boy, which made guys intimidated by him and girls drool over him. Unlike a young celebrity like Justin Beiber, this was a dreamboat standing right in front of you in the lunch line or walking through the halls right past your locker. It was real and close to home. And as if this wasn't enough to faint over, Sasuke Uchiha happened to sit right in front of me in the back of Kakashi-sensei's class in my junior year of high school. This was a senior-level math class, but I more than qualified for it.

Guess who else qualified for it? Karin and Ino. Karin was seventeen and should have been at this level by now, but apparently either failed one math class or was held back at some point - in elementary school, I think I once heard. Honestly, I didn't give a damn and wasn't surprised in the least. But Ino was only able to qualify for the upper-level class because I helped her with her math in middle school. She must have forgotten that. I wish Naruto wasn't a math idiot, or else he'd be in this class to help me. No one would dare say anything to me in front of my protective older brother. But as friendly and sweet as he was, he was a bit of an airhead. He was a little oblivious to the taunts and other abuse I was subjected to day in and day out. For some reason, I never wanted to burden him with my problems. So I never shared much of it with him or my family. I was too ashamed of the things they said that I didn't want to say any of them out loud. I knew a lot of it was true. My clothes, hair and complexion were a disaster. I was a moving target.

One instance in high school was in October, close to Halloween. For a fall break, the only several-day break we really received before Thanksgiving, the Student Government Association somehow negotiated a "Halloween Bash" school dance on that Friday night. The theme was "Ballroom Blitz." We were all to dress up in ballroom-like costumes; masks were optional, except in my current aesthetic position, where it should be mandatory. Karin and Ino didn't fail to share the same opinion with jeers and taunts from their respective seats. I wanted to die.

As the dance approached, I listened to the chatter in the hallways, classrooms and lunchroom. I did have the lucky acquaintances of my two true best friends, TenTen ad Hinata. TenTen didn't come from a lot of money, but she certainly was a spitfire of a girl. Don't mess with this girl. TenTen looked like a very plain, simple girl with not much to say, but don't get her started; she's easy to piss off. And she's also a black belt in karate. Seriously - don't piss off this girl. She'll disrespect you and your mother, then kick your ass for good measure. And that's just a warning. Hinata was the complete opposite. Though she was pretty and did come from a bit of money - a lot of money, actually, Hinata was painfully shy. Hinata blushed any time one of my brother's football buddies asked to borrow a pencil. In fact, Brandon Thatcher once asked if she had an extra pen one morning in homeroom, and the poor girl just plain fainted! One guy that would make Hinata faint at the drop of a hat was my brother. Hinata had maintained this silly little crush since childhood. . .only now it borders obsession. Guess where Hinata always wants to hold our study sessions? My house. Where is the best place to just hang out? My house. Where's the best place to grab a bite to eat? My house. Crimeny! The girl lives in a freaking mansion!

The girls and I planned on attending this event together, because none of us could see any date prospects coming our way. We knew we were social outcasts. But why not have a little fun? After an entire week off from school, we needed a night out. At least, that's what my mom told us. Naruto had a date already. He hooked up with a pretty girl named Ayame, who was a cheerleader from Sandersville. Guess who Sasuke was going with? That bitch named Karin.

My stepmom took care of my costume. I was going to be a pretty little princess, or that's what I understood. When she showed me the dress the night before, my jaw dropped. The dress was very pretty. And appropriate for a four-year-old's Halloween costume. I couldn't believe it! She didn't mean to at all, but my stepmom really let me down this time. Did she even understand that this was a ball? Or that I'm sixteen and not six? I simply thanked her and locked myself in my room to cry alone. I was used to that.

About twenty minutes later, Naruto knocked on my door.

"Hey, Saks? You in there?"

"Mm. . .yeah." I sat up on my bed, my tears long since dried. But my face was still a bit puffy. I tucked my hair behind my ears and wiped my eyes a bit.

"Can we come in?"

"Yeah, sure." I was assuming it was my stepmom, with that hideous embarrassment of a dress. I was wrong.

The doorknob turned, and I climbed to the edge of my bed to sit and talk. But when I looked up, there stood a very pretty girl.

"Hi, Sakura! I'm Ayame. It's very nice to meet you!"

"Oh. . .uh, hi."

"Wow! You have a cute figure!"

"Heh?" What in God's name is this crazy girl talking about? I'm hideous! A joke! The laughingstock of my school!

Sensing my uneasiness, Naruto interjected. "Ayame is studying fashion design. She's planning on pursuing it in college in the fall. She's already applied for scholarships."

I was shocked. Ayame was a senior! I never expected my brother to go for older girls, even if it was just a year. But she was going to college soon! What a difference!

"Oh."

"We're good friends." Oh, so I guessed wrong. Naruto might have had a crush on her, but they weren't dating. "And when she was here last, she saw your picture from eighth grade on the mantel."

"Okay. . ."

"And I thought you'd be perfect for a practice mannequin for me! A live model!"

"A what?" What the Hell was this girl thinking! I didn't think I had a lot to offer.

"You're perfect! Even with the braces! If I didn't think they fit with the picture, we could always take pictures with a closed smile. But the hair and makeup would be a different story. . ." She trailed off, obviously mulling over ideas in her mind. You could practically hear the gears turning in her head. "Stand up for me, please."

I did as I was instructed. I did a little twirl on command, too. I wasn't sure about where this was going, but what did I have to lose? Naruto looked confident, so why not?

"I saw the dress downstairs. It was probably cute ten years ago, but that just won't do for the dance tomorrow night. I have a prototype from a dress I'm not wearing. It was my second choice, but it's still absolutely gorgeous. You look to be about the same size as me. Are you a size 6?"

"Well, just about. Yes."

"Perfect! And we're almost the same height, but I'm just a smidge taller. A nice pair of heels would cover that. I wouldn't have time to take up the dress to make it a little shorter."

"O-okay."

"Would you mind if you came over to my house tonight? You could spend the night. It's just me, my mom and my little sister. You can sleep in my room tonight. This might take more than 24 hours to pull off. But we can do it! I need to stop by the store to get a few items, but Naruto can drop you off at my house. Right, Naruto?"

"Yep. My sister needs a good night out. She's been a little depressed lately, and the girls at school aren't exactly nice to her. I think it'll do her good to blend in for one night."

"Why are you talking about me like I'm not here?" I was a little scared about this, but I agreed to it. Now I'm taking my insecurities out on my caring and helpful brother. "Sorry. You didn't deserve to get spanned at."

Naruto appeared right in front of me and put his hands on my shoulders to comfort me. "It's okay. Everything will be okay. Amazing, actually. You're in good hands with Ayame."

Ayame beamed. "My house in twenty?"

"Sure. We'll be there."

* * *

That night, Ayame was able to correctly size and fit the dress to my body. Her little sister, Keiko, came in to help. Keiko was in the 6th grade. Such a sweetheart! Ayame's mother was also very kind. I met her briefly when I came in earlier that night. Ayame must have let her mother in on my predicament before we got there, because I could see the sympathy in her eyes. It was a familiar look, and I hated receiving it.

All I could say about the dress that that if this was a rejected choice, then Ayame's dress must be unbelievable. This dress was very elegant. It was a slightly sexy shiny pink dress with gold and white lace detail on the bodice. The skirt was just flowing pink. It didn't take away from my hair color. It looked like a very expensive ball gown. I can't believe Ayame had made it herself. It must have taken a long time to make. That kind of painstaking dedication should be rewarded. If she needs a recommendation. . .I'll write it up today! This girl had better receive a scholarship. Seriously, she should just send in before and after pictures of my transformation and let that speak for her amazing handiwork.

Later on that night, I was introduced to a hot oil treatment. Not so bad. Neither was the other new thing called a defining mask. While I sat there with this goop in my hair and on my face, Keiko gave me a great manicure and pedicure. Darn, she was good! The next morning, we returned to the same spot to finish what we had started. The defining mask worked wonders! Ayame's most amazing piece of magic was what she called a "healing stick." It was a 24-hour spot treatment for acne. Not only did my acne reduce overnight, but it was subdued by lunchtime. Before a lunch break, my hair was washed using a pull-out shower head sprayer. Ayame used shampoo and conditioner for frizz control and a healthy shine in my hair. Then she towel-dried it and added some pomade for more control and other special effects that I wasn't familiar with yet.

After a quick pizza break for lunch, Ayame hit me with a variety of different makeup kits. She definitely rolled out the big guns. After making me wash my face with scrubs and cleansers, I used a moisturizer. Ayame seated me at her vanity and turned her swivel chair around to face her. She first used a primer on my face. Then she used a mineral foundation that matched my skin tone well. I was wearing blush, eyeliner and a good bit more dramatic eye makeup.

Ayame then turned her attention over to my hair. Oh, it needed a lot of work. But she was a brave girl, and soldiered forward. After I was given a hot oil treatment to tame my hair at the roots and give my scalp some relief, we washed my hair and introduced me to styling products. With some shine-infusing shampoo and intense leave-in conditioner, Ayame blow-dried my hair with a professional blow dryer. I knew it felt different already. I almost freaked out when I saw a healthy-looking body of hair flowing over my shoulders.

"Uh-uh. Not yet." Ayame rolled out a small case of shears. "Your pink hair is to die for, but these uneven layers and split ends have got to go."

As she trimmed, I noticed a crooked smile. I think Ayame was enjoying it just a little too much.

Soon enough, gorgeous layers and a shorter length that still fell below my shoulders fell before me. If I was almost shocked before, now it was just written all over my face. I was like a cupcake with pink icing on top. It looked that good!

Keiko brought her sister a big train case full of makeup, and Ayame selected several items to match my very fair complexion. Before long, I had a base of primer and mineral foundation, with heavy makeup on my jade green eyes and full, glossed lips. Light blush adorned my cheeks. We picked out perfect costume jewelry to match my dress.

With about two hours to spare for the painful school dance, I was finally ready to put on that killer dress. I gasped when I stole a glance at the bathroom mirror. Not too bad! I had never taken the time to fix myself up. Both my parents still saw me as a little girl, and were too used to me being a tomboy or a geek to even worry about makeup or my wardrobe. But that didn't mean I shouldn't have fixed myself up a little. . .I was a train wreck!

Ayame had me stand in the middle of her bedroom while she and Keiko maneuvered with the dress to get it around me. I have to say that it wasn't easy. But when it was on, I felt very different. I had never felt so feminine. I looked in the floor-length mirror on Ayame's closet door. I was speechless. I looked like a supermodel! My rosette locks were fixed in a swooping updo, while the makeup actually made me look quite a bit more feminine and mature. I barely noticed my braces, though they weren't invisible. And the dress. . .it hugged the curves I was still growing into. My dad would have had a heart attack had he seen me. But I didn't care; I liked that I looked grown-up and. . presentable in society!

Ayame was getting ready, too. Her dress was just as gorgeous, I must say. She wore a turquoise and black dress with intricate patterns. She was already beautiful, but now she was drop-dead gorgeous. And she made me feel the same way. While we were talking, I learned a good bit about her. She was very pleasant. Ayame had only been seeing Naruto for about a month, but there was a strong connection. She was even considering applying for whatever college offers Naruto an athletic scholarship. We knew he was due for an athletic scholarship, since we were aware of all the scouts paying attention to him and a few recruiters leaving my parents phone messages. Sasuke was receiving similar attention.

About an hour before the dance, I realized Hinata and TenTen had no clue where I was.

"Ooh! Where's my cell phone? I need to call my friends."

"Oh, there's no need. Naruto called me earlier this afternoon. He said TenTen stopped by, and he let her know you had plans for the dance. They understood."

"Plans?"

"Oh, didn't Naruto tell you?"

"No, not yet." Naruto had just walked in Ayame's bedroom. "Your mom let me-" His head turned over to me, his mouth still open. "Holy crap! Sakura! You look like. . .a girl!"

"Thanks, jerk."

"Oh! I mean. . .you look. . .different! You didn't look like a guy before! You're just more. . .girly. . .in that stuff. You look great."

"Thanks. Ayame took care of me. So, what are my plans that I didn't know about?"

"Oh, heh." Naruto nervously scratched the back of his head. "You see. . .my friend's date canceled on him at the last minute, and he already had a tux rented that he couldn't get a deposit back on. . ."

"Who?"

"Shino."

"Huh?" I knew who Shino Aburame was. He was on the basketball team with Naruto. He was also cheering for his friends at every football game. They'd been close these past few years of high school. Shino was a pretty popular guy and also a senior like Naruto, so I was a little shocked that he would agree to take me to. . .well, anywhere. Shino happened to be a gorgeous guy. Would I faint? He was going to be seen with me in front of almost the entire school. Was he crazy? As great as I looked, I was quite a bit apprehensive. Looking the part was easy, since I had Ayame's help. But playing the part. . .of a popular guy's date. . .as a pretty girl? How could I possibly measure up to the other girls? To the _senior _girls?

"Shino remembered you from a few years back, though you probably haven't seen each other in a while. He was surprised he hadn't seen you around school."

'That's because I'm insignificant. He's passed me in the hallways almost every day.' I just giggled to brush it off Naruto's mind.

"So, Naruto. . .how do I look?" Ayame jumped up from her chair and twirled around to give Naruto a great view. Naruto smiled wide.

"You look great. Enchanting." Naruto slipped over to Ayame's side and wrapped his arms around her waist, and wasted no time in surprising her by picking her up and giving her a twirl. . It was a cute sight, I had to admit. "But I think I might need a little help. I can get these pants and the shirt on. That's the easy part. But all those other parts are a little confusing. What goes where? Bow tie? What the Hell? Help?"

Ayame giggled. "Here. Let me help you." She led Naruto into the bathroom and shut the door. I shrugged and moved to follow Keiko downstairs.

After about fifteen minutes, Ayame and Naruto joined me downstairs. We had only been sipping on tea for a few more minutes until the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it. It's Shino." Naruto stood up and got the door. I began to go into total panic mode. I knew it wasn't a real date or anything, but I wasn't prepared for this! Damn Naruto for not cluing me in! Hell, he knew I'd chicken out if he told me earlier. Clever bastard. Big bros always know.

Shino popped around the corner, with Naruto in tow. He looked handsome, of course, in a crisp black formal suit and slate gray button-up underneath. He looked kinda sleek. Incredibly handsome. Oh, what was he going to think of me?

"Wow, Sakura. These last few years have been good to you. I-I m-mean. . ." Shino gulped. He gulped nervously, just by talking to me! This is new. "Forgive me for staring. You. . .look. . really beautiful. Thank you for letting me take you to the dance tonight. I'm afraid my original plans fell through." He leaned in to kiss my cheek politely. He hovered a minute to speak into my ear, something else that was new. "Looking at you, I'm glad they did."

I turned beet red. My vibrant hair paled in comparison. Th-thank you for going with me. I didn't have a date." I probably should've kept that to myself.

He just chuckled. "No problem."

"Shino. You're not dressed in a period costume. We'll have to change that. Get over here." Ayame still had a little bit more magic up her sleeve to make us look like the most killer group at the dance.

* * *

We were expected at the dance in a mere hour. To say I was nervous was an understatement. Oh my gosh! How was I going to do this! TenTen and Hinata! Help me!

"The limo's here." Naruto ordered a white limo for his group of friends. He led Ayame out onto her front porch to see it.

"Awesome! You didn't have to do this! But it's wonderful!"

Naruto beamed. He turned to look at me. "You ready?"

I gulped and nodded. Shino stood by my side. He looked down to give me a comforting look. He extended his arm, and I slid my small hand around his muscular limb. Oh, my lord! He's definitely been training hard. He's definitely scored extra points with me, so to speak.

We marveled at how luxurious the interior of the limo was. This must've cost Naruto a fortune! We turned the stereo up and talked and laughed the whole way. But we weren't going straight to the dance, as Naruto clued me in late in the game. . .again.

"We just have one more pit stop."

"Heh?" Ayame didn't know, either.

"Sasuke."

I choked on my soda. It wasn't pretty. Shino patted me on the back. Not a great start to the night.

"We're just swinging by to pick up him and his date." Naruto made sure I was okay.

"Oh? And what lucky girl did your friend snag?" Ayame also made sure I was okay before paying attention to Naruto again.

"Oh, some girl in Sakura's grade. Karin."

Ayame made a face. "Oh, her?" The face she made after that could've burned a hole in the back of someone's skull. Ooh, Karin can leave a lasting impression on people, that's for damn sure.

I leaned over to talk privately with Ayame. "Something tells me there's a story to tell. I have quite a few myself."

She nodded her head. We'd discuss it when we can get out of earshot of the boys. Ayame leaned back into her seat and turned back to Naruto. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable being in the same space as that girl. She and I. . .don't get along well."

"Eh. What's wrong with her? She's a little flirty, but all girls are kinda like that."

Shino snorted. He mumbled under his breath, but I heard most of it. He's had quite an experience with Karin the bitch-whore. Something tells me she had something to do with his date dumping him before the big dance. That whore. Okay, so it worked out nicely for me, but still. . .she's a dirty, filthy, inexcusable whore.

"Here we are. Look, it's no big deal. Sasuke isn't really into her. He's just kinda. . using her. I know, I know. I don't approve. But Sasuke won't settle on a girlfriend. He's. . .well. . y'know. . ."

"A pig," Ayame interjected. She's obviously met the gorgeous. . .erm. . .pig. Total pig. Right.

The door then opened. "Hey, man!" Naruto moved over, with Ayame on the other side to distance herself from the drama queen and handsome pig. Shino and I sat opposite them. Sasuke slid in next to Naruto. Karin was squeezed into an inappropriate and slutty red dress, which wasn't really a ball gown but appeared more like a cheap prom dress. Ayame glared daggers, but had a look of nausea at that atrocious getup. She scoffed and looked away, her arms folded. Karin noticed her disgust and smirked. Then she looked my way. She gave me an indifferent expression ad turned to loop her arm around Sasuke's. The stupid bitch didn't even recognize me. Hello! Pink hair! Well, maybe it's for the best.

* * *

_**Sasuke's POV**_

The interesting rosette from my math class sat right across from me. Oh. My. God. She was gorgeous. She was too busy giving a death glare to Karin, so she didn't notice my wandering eyes. Holy crap. Where had this been hiding? Hair fixed, makeup, those curves. . .sensory overload. I had to check to make sure my nose wasn't bleeding. A wave of nausea suddenly came over me as Karin wrapped her arm around mine. I didn't tell her she could touch me. Doesn't she know who I am? Well, of course she knows who I am. I'm a star athlete from a prominent family. The bitch has no idea how lucky she is tonight. She'd better be worth it, like Shino and Kiba said.

I turned to Naruto and decided to lightly chat with him to take up the awkward silence. "The big game is next week. Coach says you're starting."

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Yeah!" He pumped his fist in the air in a feeling of victory. I have to admire him. He likes to win, like me. He's motivated and ambitious, like me. He's talented and hard-working, like me. He's a good friend to have, as well, because he's honest and loyal. "I wasn't sure, because practice hasn't gone too great with me this week. But I just couldn't get my mind off this gorgeous girl. . ." Naruto turned to look at Ayame. She looked beautiful, as usual.

Of course! Ayame, the queen of home economics and the president of the fashion club back in Sandersville, transformed Sakura into. . .a presentable young girl. She needed a good bit of help. I hope she doesn't let it go to her head. Beauty can be a curse. Look at Karin. . .oh, don't. She only thinks she's pretty. She flaunts herself like a piece of raw meat at a kennel. Ah, a kennel - like E.T. phoning home. God, I don't think I can last the night. She's so obnoxious. But he's a "sure thing." And I have a lot of steam to let out before this week's practice - right before we play our season-defining game.

"Sasuke-kun, don't you think this is going to be great? You and me. . ."

"Hn."

Karin looked confused. She didn't like it when I wouldn't converse with her. Her goal was to get into my pants, which would probably happen. But why does that have to involve small talk? I wasn't interested in what she had to say. In fact, It would be a lot more pleasant if she would just shut the Hell up. She was used to guys fawning over her, mainly because of her reputation. I wasn't about to do such a thing. I just shut her down, which confused her and made her more eager to try to win me over. Only I'm not really interested in her.

To tune Karin out, I trained my sights on Sakura. She was making small talk, herself. She must be Shino's last-minute date. I thought Naruto was fixing him up with his sister, though. This girl looks nothing like him. They can't be related. He must've found the potential of this girl before blowing off Naruto's little sister. The bastard. Wait. What do I care? She's beautiful and interesting, though I don't know why Karin and Ino mock and bully her. And why isn't Karin doing that right now? Doesn't she recognize. . .no, I bet she doesn't. She is a moron.

Oh, thank God. We're here.

* * *

This chapter is actually set three or four years in the past. Present day will come soon! Just wait to see what's going to happen next! Shockers! Naruto becomes a very confused boy. Sakura and Shino are getting to know each other much better. How is Sasuke going to deal with the girl he has a secret crush on? How is the raven-haired jackass even going to figure out he has a crush on her?


	2. Chapter 2

**Pink with Envy Ch. 2  
**

A/N: I do not claim ownership of or infringe upon the copyrights of the Naruto series. I merely use popular characters for recreational, non-profit fan-fiction.

*This chapter contains M-rated material and coarse language.

* * *

_**Sakura's POV**_

We pulled up at the front of our school about fifteen minutes after the dance started - fashionably late. The driver swung the door open and waited for Naruto to step out. Naruto turned around and extended his hand to Ayame. Shino hopped out of the other side and did the same with me. I blushed as he wrapped his hand around mine. He helped pull me to my feet effortlessly. After I stood there next to the limo, his hand still lingered over mine until Naruto and Ayame walked up to the sidewalk to enter the main doors of the school. Shino then extended his elbow so I could hook my hand around his muscular arm. Wow! What a great reminder that he really has been training well!

I turned to look back at our other limo-mates, Karin and Sasuke. He didn't extend his hand to help her out. He was instead on Naruto's heels, discussing something else sports-related. Karin awkwardly hurried to catch up with him while trying not to fall on her cheap heels. Oh, how I wished one of those heels would just freaking snap!

Shino tugged me towards the entrance. He noticed my eyes following Karin.

"Is everything okay?"

I jerked my head up to face him. "Huh? Oh-oh, yes."

Shino smirked a little. "I'm willing to bet you don't get along well with Karin, either, do you?" He smoothly stated his assertion as we both walked up to the main doors.

"Oh, how'd you guess?"

"Well, no one really likes her."

I snorted. "That's for damn sure. Well, there's one person. Ino."

"You know Ino?"

"Yeah. Do you?"

"Uh. . .yeah. Yeah. I met her about six months back. She. . .well, she. . .was _with _a friend of mine."

"She's always _with _a lot of guys."

"They were in his backseat."

"Oh." I was quiet after that. Ino, what happened to you?

We walked in, and the beautiful decor lifted our spirits. The lobby, cafeteria, gym and surrounding areas were turned into beautiful scenery that fit in to the "Parisian Romance" theme. It was originally called "A Night in Paris," but subsequent complaints from parents and students alike put an end to that name, due to the same name having been used to market Paris Hilton's sex tape. But all in all, it was really pretty. Lights and decor were everywhere. There were streetlamps, fake city buildings and, of course, a replica of the Eiffel Tower in a photo-op location. It didn't really look like the same place, which was a good thing. The school bears cold, gray concrete walls with yellow and purple striping. Yellow and purple are our school colors - a color scheme that makes me want to vomit.

Shino walked me over to the table at which Naruto sat Ayame down. "There's drinks and food. Do you want anything?"

"Um, I could use a little soda. There's lemon-lime soda, right?"

"Yep! Got it. C'mon." Shino and Naruto raided the concession tables for their spoils of showing school pride by attending this dance. No, they didn't really dance, but they could manage with head-nodding, drunken head-bobbing and talentless fist-pumping.

"So, how do you feel?" Ayame beamed from the other side of the table. I could tell she was happy to be here with my brother.

"Well. . .I feel amazing. I can't thank you enough for this."

"My pleasure! Thanks for letting me use you as a model for my upcoming project."

I remembered how she earlier asked if I would model for a few prom dresses she was making and submitting for a design contest. She said she'd make me a drop-dead gorgeous prom dress for the spring formal. If it was anything like this dress I was wearing, then I'd be an easy sell.

"So. . .how do you know Karin?"

Ayame bit back a dirty look in their direction. I didn't even notice where Sasuke and Karin ran off to. I looked in the direction of Ayame's dagger glare to see Karin trying to engage Sasuke in chatty banter. Sasuke looked pissed. Maybe he was frustrated at having to ride in the limo with me? Did he recognize me? Probably not. Karin didn't recognize me, either.

"Karin is a total bitch. Slut. She. . .slept with my boyfriend."

"Well, it doesn't surprise me." I was seriously hoping she wasn't referring to Naruto!

"I was dateless to my dance this semester and didn't go. Naruto practically begged me to go with him to this dance - not that I'd ever say no - and we've been dating ever since his romantic proposition. He told me I was too beautiful to go dateless, and too smart to fall for a loser like Jason."

"Oh. Naruto's a pretty sincere guy."

"Yeah, he is." Ayame and I glanced back at their table. Sasuke, fed up, was getting up to join Shino and Naruto at the concession tables. Karin started to get up, but Sasuke put his hand on her shoulder and appeared as though he asked her to stay put. Karin smiled with adoration and remained seated. As soon as his back turned to her - quickly - she whipped out her cell phone and started texting (Ino, I'm sure).

Ayame noticed my eyes following Sasuke to the concession tables. "How do you know Sasuke? Karin didn't steal _your _boyfriend, too, did she?"

I gasped. She thought I could land Sasuke? What the Hell had she been smoking? She saw me before she fixed me up! "N-no! I mean, he's in a class with me. Calculus. And he's friends with Naruto. But we don't really know each other."

"Oh." Ayame smirked, like she knew something I didn't. Well, she probably did.

* * *

About an hour later, Ayame and I finished up a round of cupcakes and soda. We decided to hit the dance floor before indigestion and heartburn hit us. The cafeteria served as a rave. It was a little awkward, so I tried not to think of it as our cafeteria. There was a DJ in the corner and a light show installed on the ceiling to illuminate the tile floor in the darkness. Many people had glow sticks and glowing jewelry. We grabbed glow necklaces from a nearby freebie table and made ourselves busy on the dance floor while leaving the guys to their own devices.

"Sasuke's cute." Ayame wouldn't drop it!

"Uh. . yeah, I guess so."

"You guess so? So you're not into him?"

"Um. . .I'm not really into anybody. Nobody's into me."

"Hmm. I can fix that."

"What do you mean?"

"Makeover. Total makeover. We've worked on getting rid of that bad skin. Your hair is manageable. Your wardrobe is going to be greatly improved. How much longer are you going to have your braces?"

"Uh. . .um. . .about three more months. I get them tightened again in-"

"Good enough. We'll work on the other things, for the time being."

* * *

_**Sasuke's POV**_

Ugh. Finally! That bitch Karin slunk away with one of her bitch friends to gossip, or whatever they do. If I had to watch her lick that lollipop like that one more time, she ain't getting anywhere near my. . .personal belongings. But if I have to watch Naruto and Shino scarf down any more snacks, I might vomit. The sound of their mastication is enough for my stomach to remain queasy. This can't last much longer.

"Hey, I'm going to go take a piss. Be right back."

"Thanks for the info." Naruto turned back to Shino. As I turned to leave, Kiba, Neji and Lee walked up to the table and began chatting. I'm glad I got away, because I don't think I could sit through too much more ignorant banter over the newest video game on their must-have list. Naruto is way too into that stuff, especially those first-person shooter games.

I made it in and out of the bathroom in one piece, but as I turned around the corner to return to my group of friends, I stole a glance at the back door. I really needed a smoke. I felt around my jacket pocket for my pack of cigarettes. Bingo. I swiftly sped over to the back door, which I found unlocked. I creaked it open, unsure whether a chaperone was guarding the door for kids who would be sneaking in to the dance. Instead, I heard something that piqued my interest. A guy and a girl were getting busy back there! I smirked and shook my head, turning back to find another place to take a smoke break. But before the door closed all the way, I heard the male voice whisper, "Damn, Karin! Do that again!"

You have got to be fucking kidding me. I already knew about Karin's reputation, but damn! What a fucking whore! She should be honored to come to the dance with me! Now I'm just fucking pissed off. I decided to go back to my table to blabber to the guys about this whore, but I didn't make it all the way there before my eye caught a glimpse of pink hair inside the cafeteria "dance party."

Holy God. She's beautiful.

I think I stood there in the doorway for about five minutes. I don't think I blinked or breathed. Sakura was dancing with Ayame. They were moving with each other to the beat of the music. It was only "Monster Mash," in celebration of the upcoming holiday for that stupid shit, so I shouldn't have really been turned on. But she looked exquisite.

The music ended all too quickly, and Ayame and Sakura made their way towards the doorway. I darted back out the door, undetected by the two occupied girls. I wasn't undetected by a couple of other girls, however. Sarah and Traci, two fairly attractive girls from my history class, nabbed me and began flirting shamelessly. What the Hell? I humored them with my famous smirk and a few strokes of my fingers through my equally-famous unruly spiked raven locks.

* * *

_**Sakura's POV**_

After dancing our asses off, Ayame and I made our way back to our dates. I noticed the pig named Sasuke flirting with two other senior girls. Not that I feel bad for Karin, but damn! He ditched his date and is flirting with other girls! I guess he's pretty much on the same level as Karin. What a bastard.

Shino and Naruto were happy to have us back by their sides. Naruto was especially pleased to see a smile plastered on my face.

"Having fun?"

I flashed a big smile in his and Ayame's direction. "You bet!"

Shino leaned down into my ear and whispered, "I'm glad to hear it." He placed his arm around my shoulder. I blushed majorly.

For the remainder of the dance, we all sat around and passed along stories, gossip and predictions for different playoffs. Men and their sports. Ugh.

* * *

It was about a quarter 'til 10 p.m. already, but I wasn't ready to leave. I felt like Cinderella!

"There's an after-party at my place!" Kiba shouted an open invitation to anyone who would listen.

"You wanna go?" Shino looked down at me. I looked at him in confusion. Then I looked back over at Naruto and Ayame.

"Naruto? What are you doing after this?"

Naruto looked back at Ayame before turning back to answer me. "I'm going to take Ayame home tonight. Do what you want. You deserve to do whatever you want."

I remembered that our parents would be out of town for a couple of days, and I knew Naruto was talking about our house instead of Ayame's so I opted to stay out a little longer tonight and accepted Shino's offer to continue being his date for the evening.

We finished up whatever we were drinking and said our goodbyes. Shino led me to Kiba's car. I was confused, since neither of us had a ride home without the limo.

"Kiba lives on the same street as me. We can walk back to my house and borrow my brother's car after the party. I can go get my car at Ayame's house tomorrow."

"Oh. Awesome!" I hopped in the backseat of Kiba's silver car. Shino helped me with the bottom portion of my dress, since it was winning the battle with the door. Kiba's date, a girl my age known as Danielle, hopped in next to me. She was wearing a cute blue princess-like dress, obviously a factory-made costume. Mine was so much prettier, and she had fun asking me where I got it. We talked about how we prepared for the dance. . .after the dance. The guys rolled their eyes and made their own small talk all the way to Kiba's house.

I learned from Danielle that Kiba's father was out of town, like my folks. Kiba lived with his single father, who happens to stay busy elsewhere and comes back home for short periods of time. I understood that his father was some kind of journalist for an online news source, and traveled a lot. Kiba stopped going with his so often once he became more involved with extracurricular activities, such as his basketball team and dating. Lots of dating. Kiba was a ladies' man. He was tall, dark and handsome. He had a cute, toothy grin. And he always talked about the love of his life - his dog. His mother's family breeds dogs, and his dog has been by his side since he was a bit younger. Any woman in his life certainly has a bit of competition for Kiba's undivided attention. She'd have to show up to his house, naked with a six-pack of beer, to gain his full attention. Then he'd possibly put the dog out in the backyard for the night.

Kiba already had about a dozen guests waiting for their host outside his house. Luckily, he lived a bit out of town and had more privacy - and no neighbors nearby to call the cops. Perfect. Kiba wasted no time in opening up his home to the booze hounds and crazies he's befriended - and rivaled. He must've planned for this party, because the first thing I noticed upon entering his home was a couple of big kegs - in his living room! He didn't even decide to put them in the kitchen. Oh, there was plenty of liquor in the kitchen for those who weren't fans of beer. And there was a nice supply of cups. Apparently, getting shit-faced was at the top of this evening's agenda.

Shino grabbed a couple of cups and took my order. Didn't he know I was only sixteen! I didn't know what these different liquors make! He smirked at my obvious innocence and made me a surprise cocktail. He made himself something containing vodka and took a seat on the island. I opted for a bar stool next to him.

"Let me know if you don't like it. I can make you something else."

I took a sip. It tasted awful! It reminded me of the taste in my mouth after Ayame accidentally sprayed hairspray in my face while going crazy on my hair. "It's fine." It burned. I didn't think I could stomach it.

"Is that your first taste of alcohol?"

"No. I've had wine." And I hated that, too.

"Oh. Cool. A little too fancy for me. But still cool."

We discussed a little bit about school. We talked about teachers, classmates we both knew, and a few other trivial things. It didn't take long before I felt a bit drunk. Shino made me another drink. I didn't want to be rude, so I accepted it with a thanks. I shouldn't have kept drinking, but I didn't want the night to end. He made me one more before I realized I was three sheets to the wind.

"You look dizzy. How about I take you upstairs to lie down for a minute? I wouldn't want Naruto's little sister to get sick and have a bad time tonight. C'mon. I'll take care of you."

My mind was screaming in protest. A reg flag was waving in front of me, but I was too drunk at this point to notice it. Shino led me out of the kitchen. I could hear the party getting louder earlier, but the chaos that I walked into upon entering the living room was nothing I ever expected. The blaring music was muffled by screaming students, many in costumes. Some were even wearing Halloween costumes out of the dance's theme. A few were till wearing their glow jewelry and held glow sticks from the cafeteria's rave-room. Furniture was toppled over and destroyed. Decor was smashed and shattered. I don't even know why or how, but there was pornographic graffiti plastered on the wall where a couple of large pictures once hung. I have no clue where those picture frames went.

Shino held me close by the wait to help keep me balanced and to quickly make our way through the sea of out-of-control kids. Actually, many of them were older than high-schoolers. Where did they come from? Shino nodded to Kiba and a few other guys at the breakfast nook on the other side of the kitchen. We had only made it around the outside wall between the kitchen and the living room! I felt like I had just run a marathon. Shino moved us closer to the stairs, but he was stopped by someone before we descended the staircase. I was thankful, because I wasn't sure if I could've handled the stairs just yet. My balance was gone, and I didn't want to risk embarrassing myself even more tonight. I was trying to start over on the right foot with the popular crowd - tumbling down Kiba Inuzuka's staircase in front of a sea of people wouldn't help me move up the social ladder at all. In fact, I'm pretty sure tumbling in any way counteracts against any sort of climbing.

Then, in a matter of a split second, I thought I was losing it. I felt a shade of green wash over me as I could feel a wave of nausea overcome me. I knew I couldn't make a comeback over public vomiting, so I tried my best to maintain drunken composure. Shino was helping me stand up, but I was losing the battle quickly. He noticed my predicament and let me lean on him. I noticed he smelled really nice - like sandalwood and rain. I didn't notice that earlier. I also didn't notice exactly how good his muscles felt underneath my grip. My nausea washed away, little by little. Before I knew it, Shino had me upstairs. I was glad. I had my arms wrapped around his neck. He was carrying me! When did that happen? He plopped me on a bed, so I assumed we were in a bedroom. I thought he was going to let me sleep it off for a while, but he joined me on the bed. Oh shit. Wait - that isn't even Shino!

* * *

**_Sasuke's POV_**

I caught a ride with Gaara and Kankuro over to Kiba's house around 10:30 p.m. The dance was wrapping up, and I didn't have any interest in finding out where Karin went. I already knew where she had been earlier, and that was more than enough.

I walked in to a growing crowd of the usual insanity. Kiba is an idiot. But damn, that kid knew how to cut loose and have a bit of fun! After my night, I needed a few drinks and a whole damn carton of cigarettes. I helped myself to a tapped keg and joined Gaara and Neji at the breakfast nook.

Lo and behold, there at the kitchen island sat the rosette from my math class. I'll be damned. It's several hours later, and that girl still looked amazing. What is she doing with Shino? I listened to her in class. She's intelligent. She's beautiful. She's-whoa. What do I care? She's a chick. She might be a nice piece of ass, though. . .

I drank a few rounds with the guys. Gaara had a bottle of Jim Beam, so we passed the bottle around for shots. When Kiba and a couple others joined us, we started up a ridiculous drinking game. We're underage drinkers. Why not?

About an hour later, Shino handed Sakura yet another drink. I could tell she was plastered. She must not have been drunk before. She looked confused. But she was smiling at Shino, nonetheless. They talked a bit more. My blood began to boil as Shino remained close to her. What did I care? Hell, I didn't know. Well, that's a lie. I knew I wanted her. I was drunk, and I was bold. I should - and thought I could - get whomever I wanted. Sakura would be no different, right?

Shino escorted Sakura into the living room. Where the Hell did he think they were going? How dare that bastard! Shino and a drunken Sakura made their way past the table to the - the fucking stairs! Oh, Hell, no! Before I knew what I was doing, I jumped up out of my seat, effectively knocking Kiba out of his chair, and ran over to Shino. I jerked him by his shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing?"

He glared at me like he wanted to kill me. And I didn't doubt it. "What the fuck is your problem, man?"

I got right in his face and spoke in a low tone so Sakura couldn't hear us. She looked like she was in her own little world, so I wasn't too concerned about her eavesdropping - I had to admit that I was worried about her. She didn't look so good. "She's only sixteen. You're eighteen. Statutory rape."

Shino backed off. "Fine. But you're taking care of her. I'll call Naruto in a couple of hours. He can drive over here and get her. Just let her sleep off some of the booze."

Shino walked off after that. I didn't give a damn whether he - wait. How did she know Naruto? Oh, she was hanging out with Ayame a lot. I'll bet Ayame found Shino a last-minute date. Or perhaps she found Sakura a last-minute date. . ._oof_!

As my alcohol-soaked mind tried to grasp onto the current situation, drunk Sakura grasped onto me. She fell forwards, losing her balance on the first step of the stairs, where Shino left her. I sighed, pinched the bridge of my nose and decided to get her upstairs before she did anything stupid. "C'mon, let's go."

As we tried the next step, Sakura leaned into me and took any weight off of her own two feet. I sighed again and - wait. What's she doing? Her hands are grasping my biceps like there's no tomorrow. My eyes tried to roll in the back of my head. "That's quite a grip, Sakura. . ." I trailed off, imagining what other uses her nice grip could serve me. . . Fed up with both myself and Sakura's lack of mobility, I grasped her back with my right arm while my left hand slid - I'll admit, they roamed a little too much and a little too long - up her legs underneath the skirt of her dress - accidentally - and locked behind her knees to pick her up in one fell swoop. I carried her up the stairs bridal-style. We passed a locked bathroom and a noisy closed guest bedroom door. It was probably Karin again - the fucking whore. I noticed Kiba's father's bedroom was open. It was the master suite. Kiba's bedroom was on the main level, strangely enough. Kiba was home alone a lot, and enjoyed never having to go up and down the stairs in an empty house when he was better-suited staying on the main level.

No one was in the master bedroom, so I gently laid Sakura down on the queen-sized bed and moved to close the door. I'm not quite sure how I was able to carry that out so smoothly, because I was greatly aware that I was drunk enough myself. I was also aware at the beautiful young teenager with pink tresses cascading around her shoulders, her hairdo long lost in the frenzy. I couldn't help myself. I wanted a kiss. So I swiftly moved to the bed. She wasn't too aware of my presence until she felt a dip in the mattress. She looked over in my direction with glazed eyes. She looked a bit confused. I'll be damned if Shino's name didn't escape her lips. Then her eyes widened in sudden realization.

"Sasuke!" Oh, my God. I absolutely loved the way her raspy, breathless voice belted out my name. I didn't let her finish whatever else she wanted to say, because I let my mouth descend on hers to take what I wanted.

* * *

**_Sakura's POV -_ WARNING! Rated M until the end of the chapter  
**

"What? Where's Shi-" Holy. Mother. Of. God. Sasuke Uchiha came out of nowhere, literally swept me off my feet, carried me upstairs, laid me on a bed, and is now _kissing_ me! What the Hell did Shino put in my drink?

But it felt marvelous! This insanely attractive guy was giving me this kind of attention. I had never felt such a thing before. And I was drunk, so I wanted more, and I took it. I grasped his arms once again. He seemed to like it, because he growled into the kiss. He pulled me up with a little bit of force from where we were joined. His hands wasted no time in finding that tricky tie to the lacing on back of my dress. He pulled the string, and my dress instantly felt more loose. He used one hand to finish loosening and unfastening behind me, while I concentrated on sitting up and getting as close to him as possible. I was practically sitting in his lap by the time he completely loosened my dress. I pulled away from the kiss.

"Don't rip it."

He smirked, a lop-sided flash of sheer suaveness and handsomeness. Damn. I must be ripped on LSD or something, because this couldn't possibly be real. Sasuke carefully lifted me off his lap so I could lift the skirt away from my body. Then he assisted me in pulling if off my body. My cute little shoes slipped off first, mostly by accident. I kicked them off the bed. Sasuke was gentlemanly; he didn't throw the dress carelessly in a corner of the room, but instead piled the mess of fabric beside the bed. He turned his eyesight back to me. His eyes roamed my white lace-clad body. He kept smirking. That must've been good. He leaned back in to kiss me. He reached in front of his own body to divest himself of the button-down shirt. There's no telling where his jacket was. He didn't have to break our kiss to shrug off his shirt. He threw that close to my dress, next to the bed. His shoes and socks came off next. I sat back and watched, curious. My drunken state wasn't aware enough to be petrified, though those feelings weren't totally non-existent. They must've shown up on my face, because Sasuke soon sat back up and stroked my cheek.

"Don't worry. Is this your first time?"

I nodded my head. He smirked again. Sasuke cupped my chin in his hands and kissed my nose. That was actually quite comforting. It was only a little form of affection, and that was easy to handle. I relaxed and leaned forward. We kissed again in a electrifying show of sparks and fireworks that put any New Year's party to shame. He wrapped one arm around my hip and dragged me back towards his lap as he leaned back on a pile of fluffy pillows. I didn't mind that he got the fluffy pillows, because his hard chest was just right for me. He scooted me closer still, and I leaned up to settle in his lap. I wasn't stupid; I knew what we were doing. I actually listened in our sex ed classes. But I knew this wasn't the most enjoyable experience for a first-timer. Oh, it couldn't be that bad. Sasuke seemed to know what he's doing. So I lowered myself onto his lap again. This time, there was no barrier except my white lace undies against his pants. But it was different for another reason, too. His erection was poking my thigh. I gulped. It was quite a bulge!

Sasuke gasped and seethed when my pelvis connected with his lap. Both his hands wrapped around my hips. I was getting caught up in the moment, because I felt a hot coil tighten in my lower abdomen. I knew I needed some sort of a release. And Sasuke, the incredibly hot raven-haired guy below and in front of me, could provide that. So I took the initiative and rocked my hips back and forth a few times. It must've been the right way to go, because the immediate friction sent my eyes rolling back in my head. Sasuke moaned and lifted his hips up a little to gain more friction. His grip also tightened considerably on my hips.

"Sakura. . .I want you. . ." Sasuke whispered into my ear. Holy crap! My hands got greedy and roamed around on his chest. He seemed to like it, so I kept at it for a little while. Then he got impatient, too.

"Undo my pants. I want to show you something."

I giggled a little bit. "I know what's in there."

He smirked again. "No, I want to show you how to do something."

"A. . .blow. . ." I trailed off, knowing he knew what I was talking about.

"Yeah. I mean, don't worry about it if you aren't comfortable with it." He suddenly looked confused, like he was questioning why he bothered asking. Did he like me like that?

"No-no. I haven't done. . .anything. . .like this before, but. . ." I leaned up towards his face and turned to whisper into his ear. "I'm a fast learner." I leaned back on my heels, in between his legs. I slid my hands down his chest to his belt. I quickly set to unfastening it and sliding it out of his pants loops. Then I unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. Sasuke looked relieved as he lifted his hips off the mattress. It must be uncomfortable having an erection confined in pants like that. I tugged on his pants at the knees until they popped over his tent. Then I was able to easily get them off. I tossed them over the side of the bed, close to his shirt. His dark blue silk boxers pitched quite an impressive tent in the front. I reached out and touched the waistband of his boxers. He put his hand over mine, encouraging me when I hesitated.

"Go ahead. We can take it slow. I'm in no hurry."

I regained a bit of confidence, and stripped him down to nothing. Wow. I was speechless! He's not big. He's gigantanormous!

"Keep going." Sasuke's hand returned to mine and brought it back up to his crotch. He guided my hand around the base of his length. I heard him sigh. He held back a whimper as he guided my hand up and down, squeezing my hand in a rhythm of its own to show me what to do. Then he retracted his hand to let me try. I gulped and took firm hold of the flesh in my hand. He was very encouraging. I started at the base and followed his instructions. He must've really liked what I was doing. I squeezed him in pulsating rhythm and I twisted and stroked, aiming to please my new instructor. I always was a teacher's pet. Liquid began leaking from his tip. I circled his head and slicked the liquid around his slit and head, He really enjoyed that. Soon enough, Sasuke ordered me to stop before it ended too early.

"We're not quite even now."

"Huh?"

"Come here. There's more." Sasuke held out his right arm, and I slid back over to sit up and straddle his lap. His hands roamed all over my sides and slid up my back to my bra straps a he planted another lazy kiss on my lips. Sasuke began letting his exquisite lips wander across my cheek and over my jawline before traveling to my neck. He seemed to be looking for something. He found a sensitive spot on me that made me jump. He smirked into my skin when he felt me jolt. He sucked on the spot a little, and my head lolled to the side to give him more room to do as he pleased. Before I realized it, my bra slid off and joined his clothes in the floor. His hands smoothly made their way to my front and cupped my well-rounded left breast. I moaned and leaned forward, wanting more. After testing the waters, both of his hands fondled me while he paid plenty of attention to my neck and face with his lips. My hips rolled in unison with the strokes of his hands on my breasts. He flicked one of my nipples, which sent my back into an arch I didn't know I could do. I let out a surprisingly feminine moan. It's the night for new things!

His mouth descended on the same point, and my back almost hit the mattress. He held me up with one hand following the seemingly-impossible curve of my spine, while his other hand assisted in slipping my underwear off. Clever bastard. I didn't complain about slipping them off my feet, but the sudden chilliness hit me, and I really felt naked. Holy shit! I was completely naked! In front of Sasuke Uchiha! In Kiba's dad's bedroom! I suppose the alcohol's effects were dissipating, because my alertness and reality began to return my senses to normal. But my senses were soon sent into overload as Sasuke slipped his hands in my folds. Hold shit. I had never felt something so good before. His hand holding my spine had it's work cut out for it.

"More!" That was all I could get out as Sasuke rubbed my clit and followed by slipping a finger inside me. He pumped for a few minutes while I rocked into him. He slipped in a second finger, and then a third. He scraped my inner walls and scissored, stretching me. I didn't know how I could take much more. Then he slipped them out of me. I mewled in protest. He smirked - that I could see, even from the blurriness of my current vision.

Before I knew which way was up, Sasuke tucked me under him. I looked up at him. I was flat on my back, on those fluffy pillows, with a gorgeous Sasuke Uchiha hovering above me.

"Are you ready for the main event?" He searched my eyes for an answer. I nodded. "Are you sure? If you're still drunk-"

"Not too much anymore." I lied a little, but I didn't. I had regained a little bit of sobriety. But I didn't want to pass up this moment. I wanted him. I needed him.

Sasuke must've seen the emotion in my eyes, because he proceeded to lean down directly over me and lined himself up. "This might hurt for just a moment. But I'll go slow and wait until you're ready to continue. After that, it'll be incredible."

"I'm ready." I looked into his eyes confidently. I didn't know why I was comfortable around him. I trusted him. And he seemed really relaxed around me, like we already knew each other.

I didn't dwell on it any longer as he entered me. He was gentle, but it didn't help much as he came upon my barrier. I felt the strain. He did, too. But from the looks of it, he was having a more pleasant experience from it. He couldn't concentrate too much. Then it hit me; Sasuke swiftly ripped the rest of the way. It stung, but the combined feelings sent my mind into sensory overload. I felt everything at once. Sasuke waited for me to adjust to the new sensations. I made a series of weird faces and noises, and dug my fingernails into his back, He didn't even mind; he just waited for me to give him a nod to signal everything was okay and that I'd like to continue.

Sasuke took my cue and began to move, slowly at first. He pulled out almost all the way and smoothly slid all the way back in with sure, confident strokes. He kept this up for a little while, but I could tell he was straining to keep himself composed. I could take more than that, so I began to give him cues.

"Mnh. Harder." He seemed thankful for my command, because he was more than happy to comply. As he sped up, he rocked into me harder and deeper. It felt incredible. I was making mewling noises and moaned just about every time he entered me. Sasuke was having plenty of fun, and made plenty of gruff noises. A while into it, Sasuke leaned down into my shoulder. I could hear him talking to me. . .or, I think he was talking to me.

"Mm. . .you feel so damn good. . .oh! So tight! Fuck! God! Mph. . ." He let out a few more comments that made me want to giggle. But I restrained myself. And I was too busy making noises and moans to care. Sasuke's thrusts sped up, and he leaned back up again to gain more momentum. He grabbed by butt cheeks and lifted me up a little. He slipped in even further, sending me in to an alternate dimension. My moans increased, and I knew my hot, tight coil was about to pop.

"Oh, Sasuke! Oh! Harder! More!" I tried to keep it low, but he heard me loud and clear. He sped up even more, which I didn't think was possible, and drove into me like a crazed animal. Unless I imagined it, I think he snarled at one point. I clawed at his back and shoulders. "I'm so close! Sasuke!"

"Say my name. Say my name when you come." Sasuke leaned down to kiss me once more. "Say it. Come for me, Sa-ku-ra."

The combination of wild trusting and his sexy voice telling me to come made my coil come undone. My back arched straight off the bed and pushed us together. Sasuke cursed into my shoulder as he shuddered and came inside me. He continued thrusting into me, letting me ride out my climax while I continued milking him.

Sasuke fell on top of me, and I didn't complain. We both had no energy left. Sasuke barely mustered the movement to grab the comforter from the foot of the bed to cover us up.

At that second, there was a knock on the door. It was Kiba.

"Hey, man. It's Kiba. You got a chick in there?"

I heard Sasuke's chest rumble with a groan. Then he sat up a little. I sat up just a little and propped myself up on my elbows. He turned to the door to shout at Kiba.

"Yes. Go away."

Kiba chuckled through the door. "Cool. It's cool. Don't get bent out of shape. Spend the night. The party's clearing out now. I'm making sure Kankuro's okay to drive him and Gaara home. Then I'm retiring for the night with my woman."

Sasuke laid me back down onto the pillows, and proceeded to drop himself on top of me. We were both covered with sweat, and too exhausted to move. I ran my fingers through his hair as I felt him sigh.

"Not too bad for your first time, huh, Sakura?" Before I even had a chance to answer, I noticed his breathing even out. He fell asleep before I did.

* * *

A/N: Reviews are welcome! Clues for the next chapter may give away too much info, but rest assured it should be juicy! I'd never enjoy writing a boring chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Pink with Envy Ch. 3  
**

A/N: I do not claim ownership of or infringe upon the copyrights of the Naruto series. I merely use popular characters for recreational, non-profit fan-fiction.

*This chapter contains M-rated material for coarse language and adult situations.

* * *

_**Sakura's POV**_

The sunlight hit me like a pail of cold water to the face. Ow. Hangovers hurt.

My eyes didn't want to open. But they slowly cracked open, nonetheless. I immediately noticed the walls were unfamiliar. "What the Hell?" I sat up as I asked myself the question aloud to an empty room.

Last night came flooding back to me, unfortunately. But the problem was that I wasn't too drunk to notice Kiba's father had white walls! These were dark blue! This wasn't even the same house! Oh, my God! I've been kidnapped!

So, naturally, I peeled the blanket off my body and ran to the nearest door. 'If I can find a way out of here. . .' As my hand turned the doorknob, I noticed how easily it turned in my - wait. I haven't turned the doorknob yet. Why is it moving?

The door swung into me, and I fell backwards. I don't even remember hitting the floor.

* * *

_**Sasuke's POV**_

I woke up pretty early, as that was to what I was accustomed. I stretched my legs, then brought my arms over my head. When I leaned back into the pillows, I had no problem remembering last night. I immediately turned to the beautiful pink-haired girl lying next to me. Her hair was a mess, her eye makeup was smudged in a raccoon-look, and she didn't have an ounce of lipstick left on her lips. Hn. Oops. My bad.

Sakura was still pretty out of it. But I didn't want her waking up in an unfamiliar house - Kiba's, no less - next to some guy from school. I had no clue why I felt that way, but I didn't want. . .to ditch her. To leave her here. To leave her, in general. What's this?

I reached over to softly touch her shoulder. Not a peep from her. She did have a lot to drink, though. I lightly brushed the tips of my fingers down her exposed back, as she was lying on her stomach. Not a stir. I heard a soft moan from her, though. She liked the touch. _My _touch.

I sighed and resigned myself to my plan that I was going to have to create. I quietly got up to use the master bathroom. I came back out in a few minutes and picked up my clothes, along with hers. I slipped my clothing back on with ease, though my head was splitting at this point. I held Sakura's bra and underwear in my hands. Then I turned back to look at her dress. 'There's no way she can leave here in that costume.' I initiated my plan a little earlier than I planned, with new stipulations.

*ring*

"C'mon, asshole. Pick up your phone."

"Well, is that any way to speak to your older brother, Sasuke?"

'Shit!' "Oh, sorry."

"So. . .where has the night led you this time, little brother?"

"Umm, that's the thing. You see. . ."

"Yes?"

"I need a ride home."

"Oh? And where is your car?"

"Sandersville."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"I'll tell you later. I'm at Kiba's."

"Ah, Kiba's lovely home. So you had a crazy party night, huh, little brother?"

I gritted my teeth, seething. "Yes."

"You are a foolish little brother."

"Itachi!" I spoke into the phone sternly, but tried my best to keep it down so I wouldn't alarm anyone, especially not the rosette sleeping not five feet from me. "I'm not the only one. There's someone else I need to take care of."

"Is that so? I'm intrigued. I'll grab my keys, and you can sit there and tell me all about it while I'm on my way. If I like what I hear, I might actually end up at Kiba's house."

"It's a girl. Don't play around."

"Of course it's a girl. But why bother with her?"

I looked back at Sakura, then moved to take a seat at the foot of the bed. "She's my girlfriend."

Itachi bit back a gasp. "You? A girlfriend? Jesus Christ, _this _I've got to see. Oh, Mother will be so proud of her little '_tomato monster_.'" He let that last line out in a sing-song voice, creepy in its own right.

"If you call me that again, I'll kill you." I heard Itachi snicker, the bastard. "But wait. I need you to grab some extra clothes."

"And why is that, dear brother? Did she rip yours?"

"No, jackass. Our school dance was a costume party. Not exactly proper clothes to wear while running around town."

"Hn." He didn't give me a straight answer.

"They aren't for me. They're for her."

Itachi sighed. I heard him going through the motions of shifting around in the upstairs hallway. I knew he was making his way into my room. About a minute later, he confirmed it. "Is blue okay?"

I looked back at Sakura, who hadn't moved yet. "Well, I don't think I have anything in pink." I ended the phone call, hearing Itachi snicker again.

It only took Itachi about fifteen minutes to reach Kiba's house, since it was only 5:30 a.m. He didn't have any tough traffic to fight through to get here. I heard his car door slam, since I was waiting in Kiba's living room. I was already fully dressed, shoes and all. I also confirmed that Sakura was still drunk, which made me feel terrible. She had more than enough alcohol to possibly have no clue as to what she was doing last night. But why did that feel terrible for me? It was just business as usual, right? A piece of ass at night, and kiss my ass in the morning. On another note, why did I lie and tell Itachi she was my girlfriend? I'm not a one-woman type of guy. Itachi knew that.

I met Itachi at the front door.

"Hello, little brother. I hope these will suffice. I'm afraid I couldn't find any of your extra bras and panties. They must be in the laundry. I was hoping I'd get to see you in the hot pink number with the feath-"

"Shut up, dick." Itachi played off of an instance about a year ago, where my mom found a girl's very racy bra stuck in between my mattresses. I didn't remember pulling anything that flamboyant off the girl, but she was apparently wearing that at some point. Mom almost had a heart attack! Dad didn't beat himself up over it, though. The stone-cold man actually chuckled a little bit.

I was actually surprised at Itachi's selections. Once Itachi learned that it was for my girlfr- for Sakura - (what the Hell was that?), he took the liberty of digging through some of my much older clothes that were tucked away in a closet. They were youth Large sizes, perfect or a young teenage girl. Itachi picked out a plain blue t-shirt and dark tan shorts. The shorts weren't feminine, but they'd do. She wouldn't exactly look like a boy. I know I've seen some girls wearing shorts at this length before! Oh, what did I care? She looked great enough with no clothes on.

I mumbled a half-hearted thanks and flew up the stairs with the bundle of clothes. Sakura had somehow managed to thoroughly tangle herself in the bedsheets. Damn, she looked hot. But now wasn't the time. . .

Once my jaw was back in place, I made sure to lock the door. I didn't trust Itachi in the least. Then I gathered whatever self-control I had, picked up her bra and underwear and walked over to the other side of the bed, where Sakura lay. I placed the clothing on the edge of the bed and knelt until I was more level with Sakura's sleeping face. Her ivory skin glowed in the dim morning light. Her hair shone like streaks of silver were woven in her pink locks. She. . .looked beautiful. But she wasn't waking up, much less was she going to be able to walk out of here - that much I knew. Man, had I been there before.

While trying to maintain my self-control, I pulled she sheets back. Sakura groaned in reluctance.

"Sakura." I placed my hand on her shoulder, but she gave no response to my presence or voice at all. She just gave a desperate moan. She made me bite my lip. Damn. Shaking my head, I sighed and grabbed her clothing, knowing she wouldn't be able to do it herself. First, her underwear. Gulp.

I held her underwear in front of her legs, not quite sure where to start. I knew how to pull them off, but I've never had to put them on before! Let's see, now. It couldn't be any more trouble than sliding them off. C'mon, Sasuke. You're an Uchiha, dammit! This challenge is nothing! A little pep talk led me to gently but firmly wrap one hand around Sakura's ankle. I managed to loop her legs through the proper holes for the undergarments. I began to slide the fabric up her pale, slender legs. Holy God. I couldn't help but let my fingers graze her skin the whole way there. As the waistband reached her hips, my hands lingered. I just held her there, like I was keeping her in place. But I soon turned back to my talk, collecting myself.

Oh, shit. The bra. Dammit, these are hard enough to pop off! Well, let's see. Those pesky little fucking hooks in the back keep them on a girl, and the straps hold everything up. So the straps need to go on the shoulders, and the hook needs to go in the back to close. But Sakura was lying pretty much flat on her stomach. So I had to roll her over a bit. One view of her chest is enough to throw the bra back in the pile. So, I did. Fuck that confounding contraption. But, alas, next came the t-shirt. I easily got the collar around her neck. She didn't even so much as stir, but she did groan and complain. I did, too, because her body was now essentially hidden from me again. I placed a hand under her back to lean her up slightly. The t-shirt fit her well. Itachi has a good eye. The bastard. Getting the shorts on were the easiest part, following the same steps as her underwear had taken.

Oh, shit. What about shoes? Oh, well. Sakura isn't going to be walking out of here, anyway. Sakura was now fully dressed, but she was still suffering the effects of drinking too much on a near-empty stomach and the effects of drinking too much for an inexperienced party-goer. Sakura was out like a light. I turned to make my way downstairs in search of a bag.

"Is everything alright, Sasuke?"

"No. She's asleep."

"You mean she's still passed out."

"Well, yes. She's likely never been drunk before."

"Does she need to see a doctor? Perhaps I should-"

"No." I shook my head. "She's not in bad shape. She just needs to sleep the rest of it off." I was surprised that Sakura hadn't vomited yet. She must be tougher than she looks.

"So, do you want to wake her?"

I shook my head again. "We can bring her home. I don't even know where she lives, actually." I walked towards Kiba's kitchen. "I need a bag." I looked around and spied the recycling bin I knew was there. Kiba usually saves grocery bags, usually to clean up after Akamaru's "leavings" in the yard. I plucked a bag and took it upstairs, leaving Itachi downstairs again to continue waiting. I was stalling, actually; I didn't know what in the Hell I was doing. I'm taking her home with me? It's the morning now! If I'm taking a girl home with me, morning is usually when it's time to ditch her! But I just couldn't do that with Sakura.

After gathering her bra and the bulk of that dress into the bag, along with those painful-looking shoes, I took it all downstairs for Itachi to put in the car. Then I took a deep breath and climbed the stairs once more to retrieve an unconscious Sakura. I wasn't guilty about leaving the bed in much a state, because I knew none of the other rooms looked any better. I also knew that Kiba would call a cleaning service with maids to come and clean up the chaotic mess. They knew him well, and always gave him a special rate. His calls came in like clockwork. I wouldn't be surprised if they were on speed dial.

I slipped one arm around Sakura's back, while the under slid under her legs. I lifted her with ease and carefully carried her down the stairs. Itachi was waiting by the front door. He closed it behind us as I walked down the pathway to his car. He jogged in front of us to get the car door for her. I crawled into the backseat on one knee, still holding Sakura. From this position, I was able to casually lay her down gently across the backseat. Sakura stirred only a little, but wasn't waking up yet.

"Ready?"

After backing out of the backseat, I stood up fully and turned to face Itachi from the other side of the car.

"Yeah." I reached into my pants pocket, but quickly realized my phone was in my jacket. And my jacket was somewhere in the house. "Shit."

"What is it?"

I sighed. "My jacket. This will only take a minute. Go ahead and start the car. I'll be right back." I was already walking back up to the house. I slid back in through the front door. I quickly retraced my steps and found my jacket hanging on the back of the chair I occupied the night before, in the breakfast nook. I walked over to it and snatched it of the back of the chair in haste. My cell phone was still there. Good. I slipped the jacket on and turned to walk out. What met me at the door was a very angry bastard.

There sat Akamaru. This dog is so massive that his body blocks most of the rising sun's light in the doorway. That fucking dog has had it in for me since the very beginning. I first met Kiba my eighth grade year in Sandersville. Kiba, Shikamaru and I competed against each other in the middle school's district spelling bee. I won my school's tournament, of course, but dropped out before state finals so I wouldn't miss spring practice for the high school's football practices for incoming freshmen. I have to say I'm glad for my choice. And I'm still an expert speller. Kiba, however, lost to Shikamaru. I have reason to believe Shikamaru could beat most instructors, actually. He is one lazy bastard, but his intelligence is overwhelming.

After getting to know both of them and their friends, I started hanging out with them more often. But the first time I met Akamaru, that fucking dog almost bit my goddamn throwing arm clean off! And here I am. After the dozens of times I've been over to Kiba's he knew to keep that mutt locked up in a kennel in the backyard. Someone at the party last night must've let him out and Kiba didn't notice or didn't remember to put him back.

"Kiba!" Here I go, running through the living room and towards the hallway. "Get your goddamn dog!" In a matter of seconds, a shirtless Kiba was at his bedroom door. I was just past his bedroom door, cornered at the linen closet door. I knew I couldn't move to get into the closest room without Akamaru jumping on me.

"Akamaru! Down! No! No!" Kiba sprinted over and grabbed Akamaru by his collar, but not before that fuzzy bastard grabbed a hold of my pants leg. I shook my leg to get him off me, and tried to dart around him. The dog knocked me on the ground, face-first, and pinned me there. The gigantic beast bit me in the ass before Kiba managed to pull him back and lock him in the hallway bathroom.

I collected what little dignity I had left, knowing full well that I had teeth marks in my left butt cheek. I tried my best to brush back my disheveled hair and pretended to brush dirt off my jacket.

"Dammit, Kiba! Your fucking dog hates me!"

"It's not his fault! He senses your bad vibes and thinks you're a danger to his territory. He's just being overprotective."

"Well, he's doing a Hell of a job, protecting you from any other human contact."

"Not true. He loves my girlfriend. She says his kisses are only slightly more slobbery than mine." Kiba grinned from ear to ear.

"Well, good for her." Disgusted by Akamaru's treatment and Kiba's visual, I walked back down the hallway to leave. I turned back around to nod a goodbye to Kiba.

"Call me later, man." Kiba waived and ran back into his room, where I'm certain this girlfriend, whom I have yet to meet, was waiting for him.

I got back to Itachi's car in one piece, though I was panting heavily.

"What the Hell happened to you? Did Kiba think you were a burglar?"

"It wasn't Kiba. Just drive."

* * *

We pulled up at our house after what seemed like an hour-long drive. Sakura didn't stir once. I constantly checked on her, with Itachi smirking knowingly and making snide comments on how "cute" he thought it was. I wanted to beat the shit out of him, but I didn't want the car to drive off a cliff or roll down an embankment and kill us all.

My parents were still asleep, or at least that's what I could gather. The lights were still off.

"Mom and Dad are still asleep, I guess." I stepped back to open the car door for the backseat.

"No. They have already left for the day. Mother was accompanying Father to Korea for the meeting. Did you forget?"

"Huh? I thought that wasn't for another month!" I tried not to raise my voice to show my disappointment. I was hoping they would be in attendance for the game next week.

"The date was moved up some time ago. I'm sure they mentioned. . ." Itachi trailed off, knowing full well that it must have slipped their minds, or perhaps they left the task up to Itachi to let his little brother down. "They did express their sadness for missing your games."

At this point, I didn't care if Itachi knew I was upset. I was not about to cry or anything - I'm an Uchiha, dammit! But I felt an immense need to. I had not cried since I was very little. My father made me feel ashamed for revealing my emotions so easily, so I learned to mask them. But now, my back is against the backside of Itachi's car, sliding down slowly to the ground.

Itachi walked around the car and over to me, crouching at my slouched form in the driveway. "This isn't the end of the world, little brother. Mother and Father wanted to be there. But you always have a crowd of friends cheering you on. I'll come to your game, if you'd like."

I looked up at Itachi and game him a dirty look. Sure, how about a stoic college student sitting in the stands. One who just so happens to look like an older version of myself, only with longer hair. He'd stick out like a sore thumb, and would be just as miserable as I felt at that moment.

Itachi sighed. "Well, if you're going to just sit there and be miserable, that's your own prerogative. But you're forgetting about your friend."

"Naruto? He's on the team, with me, you idiot. He can't be in the stands dur-"

Itachi was pointing at the back seat of his car. Shit! I almost forgot about Sakura! I jumped up and crawled into the back seat. I straddled Sakura's legs and searched her face for any signs of consciousness. Nothing yet. But it's only been about twenty minutes. I knew she needed quite a bit of help, and I still didn't know where she lived. I had half a mind to call Karin to find out if she knew anything, but I wasn't that desperate. But Ino. . .how could I get in touch with that one? She knows.

I slipped my arms around Sakura's slender form once more, trying to contain my eagerness all the while, and carried her up the pathway to my front door. Itachi had already gone inside, leaving the door open for me.

I walked into our foyer, eying my surroundings. The house was indeed empty, save for wherever Itachi had just run off to. I noticed that Itachi had left Sakura's bag of belongings close to the door, but I couldn't reach down to grab it without the risk of dropping Sakura. I decided to go ahead and take Sakura upstairs. I moved towards the stairs and took each step gently, looking at her peaceful face. We soon reached my bedroom door. I shifted Sakura's weight so I could free one hand briefly to turn the knob. I immediately moved to set Sakura on the bed. I let her body drop close to the edge, her head softly resting on my pillow.

I stood there for a few minutes, still bent over Sakura's sleeping form. I brushed her hair behind her ear and caressed her cheek. She only made a slight squeak. I reluctantly moved backwards and eventually descended the stairs to grab her belongings from the foyer.

"I would say you are very lucky Mother and Father are out of the country, Sasuke. This would have been quite a dilemma, wouldn't it?" Itachi came from the kitchen, eating a bowl of oatmeal or some kind of mush that resembles it.

"Dad wouldn't have bothered with the mess if it isn't his, and you know Mom would do anything to help."

Itachi remained quiet. It's true that our mother goes out of her way to help people. Unlike the other socialite wives who just help with fundraisers to give themselves a pat on the back as they try to climb the social ladder, our mother has never minded getting her hands dirty. To Hell with the other lazy, inconsiderate bitches. Mom was a hero to many. But Dad was a little different. He had always been known to be the overbearing, stern ruler of the Uchiha empire. While the head office in NYC was left in the hands of my uncle, Dad was able to keep us in a nice home in Mom's hometown, where she felt was a perfect place to raise a family.

I sighed, silently wishing Mom was here. I left Sakura's bag of clothing by the stairs and made to move into the kitchen to see what I could possibly make for Sakura when she awoke, but a noise made me stop in my tracks. Sakura? Did she just say something? Too late!

I sprinted up the stairs, afraid she'd panic. I came up to my door rather quickly and heard her stirring in my bed. Now I was panicking! I grabbed the door handle and flung the door open. But my door felt resistance after opening it. Was something blocking my door? Did it get hung on something? Confused, I peered inside my bedroom. There, lying on her back in the middle of my bedroom floor, was Sakura Haruno. And she was unconscious, yet again; with a nice welt growing on her forehead, to add to the catastrophe. What the Hell am I going to do now?

* * *

Reviews welcome! Will update soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**Pink with Envy Ch. 4  
**

A/N: I do not claim ownership of or infringe upon the copyrights of the Naruto series. I merely use popular characters for recreational, non-profit fan-fiction.

** WARNING! Provocative Rated M content mid-chapter. Warning provided at the beginning of the POV.  
**

* * *

**Sasuke's POV**

"What the Hell, Sasuke? What's going on here?" Itachi appeared in the doorway only a few seconds later. He looked confused and worried. But I held the same expression. Wait - did he think I. . .

"Was that completely necessary, little brother? Did you hit her?"

"What? No! She was behind the door."

"Hiding? Why would she be hiding behi-"

"She was trying to open it at the same time. I just wasn't careful." Aggravated and worried, I once more picked a hung over Sakura from the floor and placed her onto my bed. That welt wasn't going to be pretty at all.

"Well, this is rather awkward, regardless."

"Hn."

"Who is she?" Itachi stood net to me now. He did not turn to make eye contact with me, but the serious tone in his voice commanded me to stop whatever charade I was performing. How does he see through my lies so easily? Am I _that _transparent? I'm a fucking Uchiha! No, I'm not transparent!

"Sakura. Sakura Haruno."

"Haruno, you say? Is she related to the Harunos of HarunoCorp?"

"Huh? Oh, I don't think so. She's a girl in my math class."

"Hn. It does not sound like you know too much about this girl. Peculiar."

"Itachi, she's my girlf-"

"It is most interesting that your date to last night's dance was actually Karin. Where is that girl now?"

"Like Hell if I care. She's a fucking whore," I spat, not wanting to hear her name.

"Hn. I could have told you that. Only a few weeks ago, Karin was. . ._involved_, shall we say, with my friend Kisame. In his backseat. In a fast food parking lot."

I snorted. "Well, don't you have morally upright friends."

"And your friend Karin is rarely ever upright."

I choked. Oh God, did Itachi just make a joke? A sexual joke? What the fuck?

"Uh. . .um. . .well, no, I guess she isn't." That response was muttered under my breath.

"And where did this beautiful cherry blossom come from? You left for the dance with Karin."

I sighed, deciding to spill the beans. "She isn't my girlfriend - not officially, anyway. We. . .already met. But Karin and I," I shivered at her name, "after arriving at the dance, somehow became separated. I was no longer interested in her. Sakura happened to be someone else's date, but I wanted her to be mine. So I took her."

"Hn. Just like an Uchiha." Itachi looked a little disappointed, for some reason.

"I am. And so are you." I eyed Itachi warily.

"I realize that, little brother."

"Well, I didn't just _take _her. Not until the after-party at Kiba's, anyway. Her date decided to get her drunk and try to pull her up the stairs. I stopped him and told him to hit the road. Then I took Sakura upstairs myself. But what happened after was completely consensual."

"Is that right? Then why did she panic when she awoke in your bedroom?"

"Because she remembers going to sleep at Kiba's house, and now she has no idea where she is."

"She didn't seem to recognize you."

"She didn't see me. I hit her with the door before I came in."

"Hn." Itachi eyed me, now, looking for any signs of lying. He must not have found anything in his search, because he stepped out of my room. But before he descended the stairs, he turned back towards my room to ask one more question.

"If she isn't your girlfriend, why is she in your bed instead of one of the guest rooms?"

Fuck! I don't know! I tried to shrug the thought out of my head, but it wasn't working. I looked back down at Sakura's peaceful face. I couldn't help myself when I brought a hand up to her cheek and stroked her face from her eye to her chin. I was certain she didn't get quite enough sleep last night, anyway, so a little extra nap wouldn't hurt. The door did, but we have pills for that. In fact, I felt like I could use another nap. But I didn't want to go to sleep with Itachi still roaming the hallways. I shuffled over into my bathroom and shrugged off my shirt and pants, noticing I probably needed a shower. It could wait, though. I fumbled through my linen closet for something and found slightly worn sweatpants. Slipping off my underwear, I simply donned the sweatpants, knowing I would be showering later, anyway. I left the bathroom and fumbled around for a t-shirt.

I heard the front door open and close. I turned back to Sakura, then closed the door behind me as I crept downstairs to see who came over to our house at this early hour.

"Itachi?" No answer. I looked at the table in the foyer and saw my phone. The screen was illuminated, telling me I had a missed call or message. Walking over and picking up the phone, I learned I had three text messages and one voicemail. One was from Naruto, and another from Kiba. The third was from Itachi. Choosing Itachi's recent message, I clicked and read:

_I will be attending classes today. I am busy until late tonight. I have a date, so please do not wait up. You can order dinner for yourself and your 'girlfriend.'_

Ew. Itachi's getting lucky tonight. I could've done without knowing that. But that's a relief to know I can possibly get in another nap. . .

What was that? Oh, shit! Not again!

I sprinted up the stairs, yet again, but this time stopped outside my bedroom door to listen and see what Sakura was doing.

"Mmh. . ."

Oh, my God, her moans can drive any man insane. But that meant she was still in bed. Good. I slowly creaked the door open just a crack and peered in. I was greeted with quite a sight.

Sakura was evidently too hot under the covers. She attempted to wiggle out from under them partially, but ended up tangled. She didn't seem to enjoy the slightly baggy shorts as much as I did, so she somehow discarded them during her struggle with the blanket. There's no telling where they were now. My old blue shirt had crumpled up to her upper abdomen, giving me a great view of her stomach. But it still denied me a view of her chest. I had to admit that I was a little upset at that. I didn't think I was going to get much sleep this morning. . .or afternoon. . .

I opened the door just enough for my body to slip through, but I could already tell she was stirring. She'd figure out I was there in a minute, anyway. I closed the door gently though, not wanting to startle her. She heard it, anyway.

* * *

**Sakura's POV**

I was having a dream. No, it was more like a horrible nightmare. Definitely a nightmare. I had been punched and kicked, then dragged back to some sort of a prison cell. It was extremely hot, and I was burning up. The humidity was suffocating. I was thrashing wildly, trying to escape these imaginary binds. But my senses started flooding back in, slowly dragging me back to reality and consciousness.

I heard a 'click.' My extremely heavy eyelids lifted just enough to see a tall, muscular form with jet black hair move over towards me. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hyperventilating. My head was throbbing, my back felt as twisted as a corkscrew, and now I was going to be hacked into tiny little pieces by a very handsome. . .Sasuke Uchiha?

"Who. . .wha-" My mouth was painfully rough and dry.

"Shh." He quietly shushed me and petted my head in comfort, like I was a baby. "You're safe." Sweet, I guess. But definitely awkward. Especially after last night and all. . .what happened? My mind was still a bit fuzzy. Well, it was more like loud, annoying static that's inhibiting any and all meaningful thought processes.

"Where am I?" The voice that escaped my throat didn't even sound like my own. It sounded like it was next to me instead of from my own mouth. It sounded like. . .someone who had a late party night last night. Oh, God! What happened?

"You're at my house. In my room. Don't worry. My parents aren't home. You really are safe."

My vision was becoming a bit clearer, and my mind was clearing enough to become panicked at my predicament. I didn't really know him! How did I end up at his house? And where the Hell are my clothes? Sasuke quickly noticed my freak-out moment and my panicked movements. He swiftly seized my shoulders and held a firm grip. His grip was firm but gentle, to control me and comfort me at the same time.

"Sakura, calm down." I could hear sincere panic in his own voice, which actually made me relax. If he were angry or something, then I'd be worried. So I leaned back. But his hands didn't retract. He was staring at me, like he was searching for something. As confused and frightened as I was, it took me a minute to realize he was so close I could feel his breath on my chin.

"I'm calm." I looked back after trying to convince him to get off me. Unfortunately, he did retract and sit back. Why did I have to open my mouth? I didn't really mind his close proximity too much.

"Good." Sasuke sat back on his heels, to the right of my legs. He still hovered over me a little. "Do. . .you remember anything from last night? The dance? The party?"

I nodded my head. It would probably be a little fuzzy for a while, but I remember quickly recognizing I was sleeping with Sasuke, not with Shino. I don't even remember how I was separated from Shino.

I tried to sit up a little, but groaned when my back protested. I felt sick to my stomach, too, and didn't want to upchuck all over Sasuke Uchiha. So I opted to slightly recline on the fluffy pillows.

"Where's Shino?"

* * *

**Sasuke's POV _(WARNING! Rated M graphic content below)_  
**

My heart sank when I heard Sakura ask for Shino. It was a slap in the face. Did she not see that Shino was a bit of a jerk and just as much a womanizer as Kiba?

"I don't know." I opted to leave out the few details about how I sent him on his way.

"Oh." She looked disappointed. Dammit.

"Are you and Shino. . ."

"Huh?. . .Oh! Dating?"

"Hn."

"No. He was just my date for the dance. I hadn't spoken with him in a while, so it was a surprise."

"Oh." She already knew Shino? Considering her low status in our shallow high school society, I was surprised, to say the least. But judging by how fabulous she looked last night (and right now, barely dressed in my old t-shirt and hidden under my sheets), I could see why Shino jumped at the chance to have the beautiful rosette at his side. She never looked like that at school, so why now? Is she turning over a new leaf? Damn, I really want to be on the new side.

"What about your date?" She sounded like she was merely as eager to say Karin's name as I was.

"She didn't work out."

Sakura looked like she was contemplating my response for a minute. "Did you kick her to the curb, or did she wander off like a stray dog to hump someone else's leg?"

I chuckled. This was the most I've ever heard her talk, and man, was she amusing! She certainly has a mouth on her. And a sharp tongue. I might like that.

"I think the latter is more fitting."

"Oh. She's just a whore." After she let out the last word, Sakura bit her tongue and looked lost in her thoughts. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth, like she was shocked about something.

"What is it?"

She shook her head, not wanting to answer me.

"Tell me. It's okay." I was frightening myself with all the care that was gushing out like a gaping flesh wound. But I knew that I didn't want Sakura frightened at all, so I was willing to go through extreme measures to make sure she was comfortable.

Sakura uncovered her mouth and stared at me with glassy eyes.

"What we did last night. . .people are going to think I'm a whore."

Oh, man. How do I talk a girl through this? I was used to causing the trouble, not solving it. But the real kicker was that I _was _the trouble in this instance, too.

"Sakura, no one will think that. You weren't in any kind of mindset that 'she-who-shall-remain-nameless' finds herself in. She seeks out any willing male - and sometimes even female - mate just to have a good time. You and I both were drunk, but attracted to each other. It's perfectly natural."

Sakura looked a little bit relieved that I didn't call her a whore and told her the complete opposite, but then she looked shocked again. What now?

"D-did you s-say. . .you were. . ."

"Huh? What?"

". . .a-at-ttracted t-to. . ." She was giving me a confused, incredulous look. Ah, and there is that shy and quiet geek from my math class. I had to admit that I found that kind of cute. So innocent.

"Yes." There was no point in lying to her. She had such low self-esteem, from what I could tell, that it made my words a little bolder. It was the truth, anyway. She wasn't seeing anyone, and I wasn't seeing anyone. . .why not? I'd certainly have to thank Ayame for giving her a little - major - makeover, though. She looks a little more age-appropriate, and less like a tomboy. But she isn't ultra-feminine, which is new. The cheerleaders are disinterested in the game and more focused on their new manicures than scrimmage. I could see Sakura cheering alongside the other fans. I could see Sakura cheering for me. I really wanted her to cheer for me.

Sakura's phone buzzed. She looked over to where I laid her belongings. I assisted her by digging it out and handing it to her. She read her text message.

"Oh! It's from my brother. He's just worried. I'll just tell him I'm at Hinata's." She texted away, typing at an unbelievable pace. Wow, I couldn't wait to see what else those fingers could do. . .

She sent the message and laid her phone next to mine, on my nightstand.

"So, now what? Do. . .do I need to go now?"

"No!" Oops. Calm down, Sasuke. "I mean. . .I'd be happy to spend the day with you, if you'd let me."

"Huh?"

I chuckled. Jesus, this girl really must be naive. "Yeah. My parents are out of town. My brother lives here, but he's gone for the day. . .and night. It's just us."

"Oh." Sakura turned red. Very cute. "What. . .am I wearing?"

"Heh. Oh, I figured you wouldn't want to wear that costume all day. But my cousin Fumiko left some things here while she was in town. She's a little taller than you, but not much bigger. I think-"

"This is fine, thank you. I just hoped. . .oh." Sakura lifted the blanket to find the shorts she somehow squirmed out of during her nap. "Well, let's see what your cousin's got. But I could really use a shower. Maybe I should go home."

"I have a shower. I have several. My house is pretty big. I have. . .I have towels, washcloths, soap, shampoo. I have everything." I stood up to retrieve that bag of clothes Fumiko left behind. I ventured out into the hallway to rustle through the linen closet. I found the blue flower-print duffel bag out from behind a stack of extra blankets. I opened it up, and sure enough, there were girly clothes. I couldn't believe Itachi neglected to see the bag this morning. I just remembered it, though, and I doubted Itachi even knew it was there.

I popped back into my room to get a great glimpse of Sakura stretching, her arms raised over her head and her fingers pulling on each other. When she heard me enter, she quickly pulled her arms back to her sides.

She pointed to my closed bathroom door. "Bathroom?"

I nodded my head. "Hn."

"Towels?"

"In the closet, to the right when you enter."

"Oh. Thanks."

I walked over to meet her in front of the door, before she entered. I handed her the bag. "Here. These should fit. There's several items to choose from." I leaned in, close to her ear. "But I wouldn't mind if you wore my old t-shirt."

She turned beet red again. "I-I'm sure these will fit just fine."

I couldn't help myself. She looked so cute. My hand trailed up her arm, from her wrist to her shoulder. I felt her shudder, and I smirked. I leaned in to gather the scent of her neck, and buried my nose in the crook. At the same time, my other arm wrapped around her waist. I heard her gasp.

"Stay with me today."

Sakura didn't touch me, but I noticed her cheeks were even redder now. I could feel the heat coming off her skin. I felt the goosebumps.

"O-okay. But I still need a shower."

Sakura moved to pull away from me, but that wasn't going to happen.

I only pulled my head away long enough to capture her soft lips in mine, It was gentle, so she wasn't too shocked. It only took her a few seconds to respond to me. Her left hand rose up to grip my shoulder. When I noted that she was playing along and happily slipped out of those shorts, I took it a little faster. I reached down to her right hand and removed the bag, letting it drop to the tile under our feet. Sakura's feet soon left that tile as I lifted her up onto my hips by grabbing her inner thighs and easily hoisting her up, her back hitting the wall with a gentle thud. All I heard was Sakura's raspy breaths. It was easy to tell she was already excited. I was hoping for a bit more noise, and I couldn't hold back from running one of my hands underneath her shirt. My hands glided up her smooth expanse of flesh to gently cup one of her breasts. A muffled moan slipped out of her mouth, and I got greedy. As we kissed, gradually increasing roughness, my hands increased in roughness to match. Sakura's moans became more frequent, and a muffled every single one with my lips.

Our lips didn't part until my hands raked up her sides, then came back down to the bottom of my old t-shirt. I took my time lifting it up, letting my thumbs graze her newly revealed sides. We parted just long enough so I could pull the shirt over her head.

Unfortunately for Sakura, her hair came out a mess. I looked at the silky pink locks and couldn't help but laugh. Sakura quickly realized what I was laughing about and combed her hair back with her fingers. She then lightly slapped my shoulders to tell me to be quiet. I was still chuckling under my breath, so she decided to take the time to move to my neck. I was shocked that she would be so bold, but I wasn't about to complain. I felt both of her hands on my back, just around my shoulder blades. Sakura followed my pulse to my jugular, then lightly sucked. I could hear a slight suction noise. My mind went crazy. I couldn't believe she made me moan so easily. I definitely had another use for that incredible mouth of hers. I settled on the idea when I felt her tongue come out to play on my skin.

I pulled away. She looked heartbroken, like she had done something wrong.

"Did I do something you didn't like?" Such sad eyes. They were killing me! Those bright green eyes. . .

"Not at all. But I have another idea." I ground my hips into hers, and knew she could feel me through my sweatpants. I was only wearing the well-worn sweatpants, barely clad to my hips. She was only in her panties. Sakura let out the moan I was waiting to hear, and I wanted a lot more from her. I felt her hands roaming again, this time on my chest and stomach. I let her feel around as she pleased, making sure she liked what she saw. She must have liked my abs, because she mostly concentrated on raking her fingers over them.

"You know, I wouldn't mind if you went a little lower."

She froze for a second, shocked at the idea. "What?"

I smirked again. She was so naive. But I knew she was willing, so I'd go as slow as she wanted. We had all day, anyway. And all night.

"I can guide you, if you'd like."

"Y-you want me to. . ." she trailed off, casting her eyes down towards my crotch. She looked a bit intimidated by my size, even though she had seen it already. . .but she probably didn't remember. But I can make sure she doesn't forget it this time, and can have her begging for more.

I took her now unsteady hands into mine. "You can do whatever you want. I'll help. Do you want to?"

She hesitated, taking time to contemplate her answer. She shook her head, convinced that she wanted to continue. But she still held a bit of fear.

"I-I've never done this before."

I kept my smirk in place. "That doesn't matter. It's easy. I'll like whatever you do. We're just fooling around, so it doesn't have to be anything serious. Just whatever you feel comfortable with." I leaned in and gave her a soft, lingering kiss on her forehead for added reassurance.

Sakura eased herself down onto the floor to stand in front of me, now much less confident than she was a minute ago. I still held her hands in mine. When she made eye contact with me, I guided her hands back to my lower abdomen.

"What do you want to do?"

She still held a bit of doubt on her face, but the fear dissipated. I knew she just needed a confidence boost. She started moving her hands again, feeling my muscles tighten under her touch. But she was still holding back a bit. So I again took possession of one of her hands and easily slid it underneath the waistband of my pants. Both Sakura and I gasped when she touched my erection, though hers was out of surprise. I, on the other hand, was already about to come undone.

"Sakura's grip it." My other hand reached out to balance the rest of my body. Now I was leaning over Sakura, sweat collecting at my brow. I moaned when I felt her small fingers wrap around my cock. I didn't hide the smirk, though.

"Slide it up and down, like this." My hand, still wrapped around hers, guided her up and down my length, reveling in the feel. "Keep the grip. Base to tip. Do whatever you want to the tip; it's sensitive."

Sakura gulped, then started to move on her own after my own hand stilled. I still followed her movements, happy to guide her. She did keep the grip, just how I wanted. Sakura moved down to the base, then made her way slowly back up. She used her thumb to explore the tip, nervous but curious. She built up a little more confidence under my convincing noises and mutterings through gritted teeth. I removed my hand and pulled down the waistband of my pants, freeing all the action. Surprised at my movements, Sakura stopped.

"Oh, God. Don't stop! You feel so good, Sakura." Then my earlier idea was rekindled, along with the sensations from her licking and sucking on my neck. "Wait a minute." I pulled my hand away from the wall and stood up straight, pulling Sakura close to me. She didn't remove her hand from my crotch, though she did let up on her grip a little.

"What's wrong?"

I chuckled. "Nothing at all. That was awesome. But I wouldn't mind a little more. There's something else we-"

"A blow job?" She had pink-tinged cheeks, though I wasn't sure if it was because of shyness or because of the heat we were creating. But she said it, loud and clear, and without stuttering. I doubted she'd ever partaken in the act, but I was sure all teenage girls talked about it or have heard it from other sources. If she's willing, she can get a front row seat to a demonstration.

"Remember: you don't have to do anything you don't want to. I don't want to pressure you if you aren't-"

"I'll do it. I want to." Her blush remained, but she was serious. I was floored. I was certain my idea was a long shot, but Sakura once again doesn't fail to impress me.

"Alright. Do you want to-"

"Can we start in the shower?" Sakura shocked the Hell out of me, yet again.

"S-sure, if that's what you want." I chuckled to ease my shock. "I needed a shower, anyway." Boy, was I eager! Sakura was a little temptress without even knowing it. Wow.

I walked over to the roomy shower stall, slowly leading Sakura with me. I slid the glass door open, revealing glass tile walls and a rather large shower head. I've always enjoyed using the large shower head attachments so my entire body is immersed in water when I stand under the stream. Now I'll figure out if it's big enough for two. And I was way too eager to see water trickling down and splashing all over Sakura's supple ivory skin. I turned the water on and set the water to my favorite slightly steamy setting. Now it was time to hop in and get the show on the road.

My sweatpants had found their way back up to my hips only because I didn't want to trip over them if they were gathered at my ankles. I pulled them down and stepped out of them outside the shower door. I kicked them out of the way. Sakura was slightly hesitant to remove her panties.

"Is it okay if I take them off?"

"I-I guess." Sakura's blush appeared to be permanent, because I was still looking at flushed cheeks.

'Oh, it will be permanent in just a minute or two.' I sensually rubbed circles on her hips to help calm her down and maybe add a little excitement along the way, then looped my fingers on the sides of her underwear. I slid them down swiftly but gently until I could no longer reach them, but Sakura acted by wiggling out of them the rest of the way. She kicked them over towards my sweatpants. I couldn't help but smirk again, feeling so lucky that I was able to spend more intimate time with Sakura. I was worried she would have a meltdown, scream rape and run out of my house. But she stayed with me, and I was happy. I hadn't felt so happy in such a long time. Not that I was thinking about her in that moment, but Karin or any other high school skank could never make me feel like I do while I'm touching Sakura.

My hands, still concentrated on Sakura's hips, led her into the shower stall. She didn't complain about the water temperature. She was looking right at me.

"What now?" She was looking at me very curiously.

"Whatever you want. We could continue. . ."

"Oh, yeah. I've never done this before, so just tell me what to do." Sakura nervously crouched to situate herself on her knees, directly in front of me. She lined up her face with my crotch, looking up at me with curious eyes. She didn't seem to be too nervous; she must've been getting used to the extremely intimate situation and wanted to get things moving along. I hoped my caring and helpful words were helping her confidence and comfort in this situation. I didn't want to pressure her, but I wanted to give her a good full experience. No, a great one. One she will never forget.

Sakura picked back up with her hand, closing her fingers around me and giving a tug or two. I closed my eyes and let myself be vocal to help encourage her. One of my hands held me up straight while relaxing on the glass shower door, while the other hand gently raked through her strawberry tresses and massaged her scalp.

"Go ahead, Sakura. You can use your hand or your mouth. There isn't much that I-"

"Yoo phalk phoo muth." Before I could finish my encouraging sentence, Sakura had enveloped my cock in her mouth. She didn't do much of anything, but she was driving me crazy! You can't just put your mouth around someone's dick and just hold it there! But I couldn't scare her or pressure her, so I tried to muster as much composure as humanly possible. I really should have won an award for that.

About thirty seconds later, Sakura hadn't really moved, and I did not have much patience left. I just had to keep reminding myself she was a beginner and was still learning.

"Sakura, you can move your head, just like moving your hand. You can either lick like a lollipop, or you can suck. . .like a lollipop, I guess." I was trying to sound calm and encouraging, but it was hard to convey through gritted teeth and limited breath.

Sakura took the hint and moved her head back and forth. Her head movements were sloppy, but she still felt amazing. Only about five minutes into it, I could tell she wasn't too comfortable with the back and forth movements. Sakura probably had sore neck muscles and couldn't continue without straining herself, so she popped my cock out of her mouth and began licking it to try that approach. I missed the wet heat inside her mouth, but her tongue was just so incredible. Man, I am really enjoying being a practice dummy. I get to tell her exactly what I like and how to do it without anything getting too awkward. This was just kind of like a tutoring session.

"Remember the movements I showed you with your hand."

Sakura racked her brain for techniques to try, and I could tell. She tried everything on me. I had never had to hold back like that, but I didn't want her experiencing swallowing anything yet. I didn't want to frighten her on her first try.

"Sakura, that's good. Really, really good." I took my hand that worked its way into her hair and gently urged her to pull back. She leaned back and looked up at me. "You can stop now. I. . .can't hold back anymore." I shook the last part out in shaky breaths. With all my noisy compliments, I knew Sakura was more than ready to heat this shower up a few degrees.

I wasted no time in pulling Sakura to her feet and gathering her up in my arms, kissing her crazily. My adrenaline was pumping madly, and I was hoping this would set aside some of that energy. Nope. All I wanted to do now was slam her up against the tile. So that's what we did.

Though I didn't slam her, exactly, Sakura's smooth backside hit with a delicious smack on the tile as my hands once again hoisted her up by her upper thighs. Sakura instinctively wrapped her legs around my hips. Yes, she was definitely ready. I still held back a bit, though, to make sure her body was as ready as her mind was. I slid one of my hands into her center and inserted a finger inside her. She let a heart-stopping moan fall from her lips. I looked at her face in front of me as I slowly pushed another finger into her. Her eyes were closed shut, her lips were parted with her pants and moans, and her hair was stuck to her neck, shoulders and sides of her face. I couldn't help but swell with a great deal of male pride. I just couldn't help myself. This girl was mine, and she should very well know it by now.

I removed my fingers after just a few minutes of pumping into her. She squirmed until she felt my length on her inner thigh. She let a gasp escape, her heart pounding at the anticipation. I thought I had waited long enough, so I lined myself up and almost immediately started easing inside. Within seconds, Sakura began squirming again.

"Impatient, are we?" I breathed a light chuckle into Sakura's ear. She shuddered, unintentionally squeezing me with her inner walls. I groaned, loving the feeling. I eased in a bit more with a slim amount of resistance, aiming to fill her up before beginning the thrusting motion. Once I thought I was inside well enough, I pulled out more than halfway, then forced my way back in still gently, but swiftly.

"Oh, Sasuke! More!" Sakura's moans became as frequent as my thrusts. I picked up the pace a few minutes into it, reveling in the feeling. I waited until I heard her frustrated grunts, because Sakura's impatience led to her hips jolting a little to find purchase slightly upwards. After about fifteen minutes into it, Sakura became frustrated with my speed again and bucked slightly upwards into me. I timed it perfectly. The second her hips raised into mine, I slammed back into her. Sakura moaned with surprise and pleasure, and her head hit the back of the tile.

"Be careful." I stated a warning in between pants. "You don't want. . .another. . .bump. . .on your. . .head."

Sakura chuckled just a little, her breathing growing more rapid. Since I now knew she could handle a bit more motion, my thrusts became deeper, harder and more frequent in pace. Sakura's hips bucked upwards towards mine as my hips rocked into hers. I felt her feet against my back and knew she had just locked her ankles together around me. I took the opportunity to move things along. I tilted Sakura slightly backwards and flattened her back against the tile and pulled her lower body out at an angle. I knew I was thrusting much deeper into her, and she could feel every inch of me. Sakura screamed at the feeling of the new angle, her nails digging in my back and her hips bucking wildly. I knew she was close. I sped up as much as I could without hurting her, though I could hear flesh slapping together and bone smacking against bone. I ground my hips into her a little as I closed in on her, taking a nipple into my mouth and sucking. They were just there, moving with my thrusts, so I didn't want to neglect them. Sakura couldn't have agreed more, because her moans increased unbelievably.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, I. . ."

Sakura began to arch her back and mumbling incoherently towards my ears, and I knew she was hanging on by a thread. Like a knife, I cut the thread as I thrust as deep as I could.

"Sasuke!" Sakura shuddered and came, her back arching at a seemingly impossible angle. I grunted and even growled a little as I felt her squeeze me tightly. With a few more thrusts, I ground into her hips to prolong her orgasm as I came inside her.

Sakura didn't unlock her ankles until I eased my grip on her hips, which I didn't realize until now. I shamed myself at the horrible marks I left. I knew they'd bruise. I pulled out of her as I felt myself soften a good bit. When her feet touched the floor of the shower stall again, I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and embraced her, her face relaxing into my chest. I held her close to me for a few minutes, not really wanting to let her go. My free hand caressed her wet pink hair. My other arm reached up to my shower caddy for soap and a clean washcloth. I found both through sloppy fumbling, and held them both awkwardly until Sakura pulled back to see what I was doing. She arched an eyebrow at my items.

"Bath time?"

I nodded my head. "Turn around."

Sakura complied, turning around to face the wall I just had her up against. I dampened the washcloth and lathered a good bit of soap into the fabric. I placed the soap back on the shower caddy and placed both of my hands on Sakura's back, One hand rested on her hip to hold her in place while the hand with the washcloth began gently rubbing circles into her skin. Sakura moaned gently. The washcloth gently moved across the expanse of her back, feeling her shoulder blades and spine as I mapped my way over her body. I continued my journey around her front, curving around her waist and onto her lower stomach. She must have still been sensitive down there after our recent lovemaking session, because I felt her lower abdomen spasm when I raked my cloth-covered fingers over her skin there. Sakura had moved backwards already, so all she had to do was tip her head backwards to find my strong, hard chest to lie back on. I gently and attentively lathered Sakura's front, paying special attention to her breast, of course. I trailed down her arms and massaged her neck. Then I continued back down towards her lower abdomen for more good, clean fun.

Sakura let our a little gasp as she felt me go lower on her body. After our recent activity, I wondered how long it would take her to get wet again. I did notice we were in the shower, so it couldn't really be a good experiment. But why not? I'd call it an anatomy study session.

"Sasuke, what-"

"Shh." I shushed her, comforting her and quieting her as I continued down and lathered her abdomen, lowering my hand to her upper thigh. I had to lean over a little bit to reach her knees, so I worked my way back up and stayed there. Now my smirk came back to my face as I led the washcloth to Sakura's inner thigh. Her gasps increased, obviously aroused but in no position to stop me. My hand and the washcloth met her center, gently stroking her folds. I knew she was wet again. I dropped the washcloth and only used my hand now. My finger parted her folds and ran up and down, causing Sakura to gasp and let out a large moan again. Her head hit my shoulder, her eyes closed again. I stroked her, holding back a bit and just letting her enjoy the feel of me. Then I moved a little higher until I found her sensitive nub, barely touching it, but with enough force to rub it and to cause Sakura's back to arch. Her breathing became even more ragged than before. Knowing she wouldn't last long after coming so soon, I inserted a finger inside her as my thumb pressed down on her nub, rubbing as the other finger pumped in and out. Within a few seconds, Sakura arched into me and spilled over. My male pride swelled again, and I had a feeling my smirk would be permanent for at least the rest of the day.

After a beautifully prepared lunch a la Sasuke (spaghetti with my special thick, robust tomato sauce I made myself), Sakura and I fooled around in my bedroom for another hour or two before we settled on watching a movie. I didn't think she'd go for a horror movie, but she surprised me by agreeing to a new movie I missed while it was in theaters. I rented it through my cable service and sat back. Whoever first discovered that horror movies are the perfect date movies was a fucking genius. Sakura and I began seeing each other, though we didn't feel it was right to try to announce it or anything. Besides, we were on fall break. Besides my strenuous practices, I had Sakura all to myself when she could duck out of her house. She said her stepmother liked to keep tabs on her, but her two friends didn't mind lying for their best friend and her new mysterious boyfriend. This wonderful "staying in" routine was fabulous throughout our fall break, up until my big game.

* * *

**Sasuke's POV, at the next football game**

Here comes the snap.

"Blue 32. Hike!"

Ryan moved, and I immediately shuffled backwards for a chance at my great pass of the game. Scouts were watching, and I was watching for Naruto. Damn. Someone was all over him. But I trusted him enough. He knew my style, and I knew his. If I could throw it perfectly, he could know to jump to catch it. I didn't want the ball to get anywhere close to the other guy for an interception.

In a split second, my eyes locked in with Naruto. Game time. I reared back and shot off the perfect throw. I could feel it. The ball was a live wire soaring through the chilly night air. But I couldn't see it, because as soon as the ball left my fingers, I was knocked to the ground by two guys. And I was faced with blinding pain in my left leg. I knew immediately that I was in trouble. Dammit. There goes my scholarship.

I was able to turn my head just in time to see Naruto dancing in the end zone. I knew I could trust him. I'm pretty sure, anyway. But the terrible amount of pain in my leg somehow blocked out the immense joy that I tried to muster.

* * *

**Sakura's POV**

When I saw Sasuke go down, I knew that something was wrong. He took a pretty hard hit, but he didn't even try to get up. He looked like he was trying to hide pain, and pain is usually caused by injuries in this sport. I knew Sasuke was a pretty damn tough guy, and it would take a lot to keep him down this long. If he's conscious, then he had to have sustained a serious injury. To say I was terrified would be an understatement of the century. Everyone was already on their feet, celebrating the final touchdown my brother nailed, but I barely noticed the game-winning points after I saw the serious situation in which Sasuke found himself.

When I knew he must've been hurt badly and didn't get up, I looked to my father, who also looked concerned for him. I didn't tell my dad about Sasuke, since he had a reputation and I knew neither of my parents would approve. So I made a little lie.

"I'm going to go meet Naruto at the entrance to the locker rooms. He deserves a hug. . or a high-five, since he's sweaty and gross."

"Heh. Okay, sweetheart. If you can promise to keep your cell phone on you and stay close to the crowds, we'll meet you and your brother at home later. You can stay here and visit with your friends, but no parties. No way." He kissed me on the forehead and turned away to talk to some other parents, who were currently crowding around my parents (the mayor and his wife) to shake their hands and chat.

I bolted. I was quite sure I had smoke pouring from the soles of my feet, but I wasn't about to stop running until I made it to the fence. I looked towards the field to see the medical team surrounding Sasuke. Oh God, it couldn't possibly be good. If possible, I sped up.

I made it to the gate of the fence surrounding the field and waited until the sea of sweaty jerseys produced a certain blonde. When I saw him, I jumped forward with unfounded energy.

"Naruto! What's wrong with Sasuke?"

He sighed. He didn't look happy at all. "Coach Grant won't let anyone near him. It doesn't look good. We think his leg is broken."

I gasped. No, that would not be good at all. His dream scholarship to play SEC football would be pulled.

"We're going to meet him at the hospital. His parents are out of town. It looks like Coach can't get a hold of them. So he needs support. We'll wait in the operating room if it takes all night." Then Naruto eyed me suspiciously. "How do you know Sasuke, again?"

I pulled back and played dumb. "Oh, he's just a classmate. He's. . .nice to me, so I'm just concerned about him. Plus, I know he's your best friend."

"Oh. Well, that's awful nice of you, Sakura. Where's Mom and Dad?"

"They're schmoozing with people in the stands, then they're high-tailing it back home. They said I could pick up a ride from you or one of the girls."

"Well, I'm goig to shower and get together with the guys to go over to the hospital. I guess you could come, too, if you want."

"Yes!" Oops. Pull it back, Sak. "I mean. . .I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I'm very concerned about him. This is terrible for him." I tried to fend off tears so Naruto wouldn't get any hints. "I'll wait inside the building. with some of the others."

"Okay. I'll make it quick, then." Naruto and I turned back to the field and saw Sasuke on a stretcher, which was being loaded into the back of an ambulance. Both of us exchanges glances of grave distress. disappeared into the outside entrance to the locker rooms. I turned the corner towards the double doors into the closest hallway, but I immediately dug out my cell phone and looked up a certain number.

*ring*

*ring*

"Hello?"

"Itachi?"

"Yes? Who is this? I don't recognize your-"

"It's Sakura."

"Oh, my brother's cherry blossom." He chuckled slightly. "What can I-"

"Something's happened. Sasuke's hurt. Badly." As if on cue, the ambulance drove by, right on the road in front of me. Itachi clearly heard the sirens.

"I'll meet you at the hospital." With that, he and I both hung up. I took a seat on an empty bench close to the double door and tried my best to compose myself, but I struggled. I gave in, and clutched my bag as I folded my head into my lap.

* * *

**A/N: Apologies for the amount of time it took to update, but this is a lengthy chapter and should help make up for the time gap. Besides constantly revising this, I had a few (much less fun) papers to research and write, which deprived me of my free time and sleep. Reviews welcome!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Pink with Envy Ch. 5  
**

A/N: I do not claim ownership of or infringe upon the copyrights of the Naruto series. I merely use popular characters for recreational, non-profit fan-fiction.

**TIME SKIP: Sasuke and Sakura parted ways before Sasuke and Naruto graduated, though the details to the emotional breakup have yet to be revealed. Sakura's family is revealed, as is her high intelligence, a trait of the family. Sakura moves to New York City with Hinata and TenTen.**

* * *

**Sakura's POV throughout the chapter  
**

Sasuke's hospital visit revealed what we all feared: he couldn't play football again. Sasuke broke both his tibia and fibula. He suffered a hard hit, and his footing was off. His leg just snapped. He started rehabilitation as soon as he could, but Coach Grant and the medical staff both shook their heads, admiring his courage but condemning his foolishness. Sasuke was very lucky he could walk again, but there was no way he could play football on the field again.

Sasuke's football scholarship was withdrawn. All offers were off the table. Sasuke happened to have a 4.0 GPA with sterling recommendations, though, and was more than able to secure a scholarship based on academics alone. With his family's name, Sasuke easily attended an Ivy League school and soon found his way in the doors of Harvard Law School, though I doubted he was happy.

I attended an Ivy League school myself, though I was more than happy to stay away from Sasuke and attend a very different school. I graduated in only six years (spending only three years on my bachelor's degree) with a Masters in Communications, with a resume filled with potential for advertising firms. I had a little trick up my sleeve for the Uchihas - my deceased mother's family was rich, as well. Filthy rich. Rich enough to marry into the just-as-wealthy Haruno family. The family business - the corporation - is internationally famous for one-of-a-kind, innovative creative marketing and advertising. My kind but very powerful grandfather, Yoshihiro Haruno, was very happy to welcome me to the Big Apple and presented me with a very lovely office in Haruno Towers. I accepted no special treatment, making my way up the ladder in only two years by my own merit. As a lead marketing agent, I landed an international advertising account. My grandfather is very proud of me. Most of my colleagues respect me as one of them, since I came into the office without expectations for special treatment. I took an office just as puny as theirs in the beginning, earning the right to move up to the higher floors with the best of the best. My group of personal friends share secrets and help each other, knowing what's good for all of us is good for the company. We wanted all of us to succeed. Hm, I wonder who my close-knit advertising buddies could be? Why, TenTen and Hinata, of course!

As anyone could have expected, TenTen is now a cutthroat member of HarunoCorp's legal team. She can devour an opponent in one gulp. She even scares some of the senior partners. When we're staying in, TenTen still prefers to tie her hair up in those mini-Princess Leia buns. They look kind of like panda bear ears, but she still hates it when I call them so! TenTen still practices Tae Kwon Do at least every Saturday morning. . .unless she can find something better to do with me and Hinata before 10 a.m. But there's no way I'm going to be up that early after Friday business meetings!

The ever-bashful Hinata gained a good bit of courage and self-confidence while in college. Neither she or TenTen attended my college, but they did attend the same university together. Hinata did not move on to graduate school, but instead worked at a tax office with her degree in accounting before getting a *cough cough* lucrative offer from my family's corporation headquarters in NYC. She happened to be a Hyyuga, after all, and my grandfather loved the idea of having a strong common bond with the Hyyuga family. She could not refuse such a big paycheck and a shot at such a revered position in a large corporation, so she was already thrilled when she walked into the lobby downstairs. She was shocked and extremely happy when she was greeted by myself and TenTen before she made it to the front desk. TenTen rents an apartment above the block where her workout studio holds classes, but Hinata and I quickly became roommates in a posh area of Manhattan so we can walk to work without a need for the disgusting subway. Hinata now is one of HarunoCorp's most important number-crunchers. She also turned out to be quite fashionable, and easily snagged a few random date here and there.

I, on the other hand, barely dated at all. I've been set up on a few dates by friends and colleagues, but I just didn't have the time for that nonsense. I'm about to be named Creative Director of my division, and I need to be working overtime if I'm going to impress everyone on the board. But that's okay, right? A successful girl must have priorities, after all.

* * *

*ring ring*

Hinata and TenTen glared at me over the bistro table.

*ring ring*

"What? I'm not going to answer it, I promise. Here, let me put it on silent."

TenTen grabbed the phone from my hands before I could read the screen. Then she looked back at me with a defeated look, something not too common with TenTen.

"It's your brother."

"Oh! My stepmom told me last night that he had some big news for me. Gimme!" I snatched the phone back. "I'm hoping he got the lead anchor position on the sports show! He deserves it."

I pressed the green button. "Hello there!"

"Jesus, Saks! I thought you were never going to answer! I didn't want to leave you a voicemail becau-"

"Mom told me you had some news! Tell me! Tell me!"

Naruto laughed. We both enjoy talking to each other so much. I really missed him.

"Yeah, I do. _I do._"

"Well?"

"_I do._"

"What is it? Just tell me, you idiot!"

"Ah! Don't be so mean to me, Sakura! I'm giving you a hint!"

"Well, it's not a very good one."

Naruto sighed. "You've got to be kidding me. You're great at puzzles. What significance does the phrase 'I do' hold?"

I gasped. No. Freaking. Way. "No. No way. Nuh-uh. Are you telling me. . ."

"I'm engaged!" Naruto yelled into the phone so loud that groups from other tables took notice.

I almost fell out of my chair. Hinata did.

* * *

I cleared the vacation time with my boss. Then I sat in my grandfather's office after hours, where I knew we'd still be sitting and rifling through papers.

"I can't believe it."

"Why not? He's of normal age to settle down. He has a stable job, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he does. He told me he got the lead anchor position. He'll be broadcasting out of Arizona, so he's moving there after the wedding."

"Arizona, huh? I hope he can handle the heat. Summers are miserable over there. Where will the wedding be?"

"Back home, in Rockport."

"So, I suppose you'll need a plane ticket, then."

"I booked a flight with TenTen and Hinata. We're going together."

"Oh? No date?"

I giggled. "Oh, grandpa. It's my brother's wedding. I'm a bridesmaid, anyway. Naruto said they had one more usher than bridesmaid, and she would've liked me to be there, anyway."

Ayame was so sweet. It has been forever since I've seen her. I was happy that something so good could happen for my brother.

"Alright, then. I'll leave you alone. Are you using those tickets tonight?"

"Yep! TenTen isn't that thrilled to go to this big fashion show, but Hinata and I are!"

"There's four tickets, though."

"Yep! We invited Brittany from Accounting. She's a fashion guru, and salivated when Hinata showed off her ticket. She's really excited that we gave her an extra one. We're meeting at our apartment in a couple of hours to get dressed."

"I hope you have fun, sweetheart."

"Thanks, Grandpa. I will."

* * *

Hinata's personal driver (she's a Hyyuga - go figure) pulled up to the venue. All four of us ladies happen to be 24 years old now, with exception to 26-year-old Brittany. I have to say that we look absolutely amazing. We're certain they will be trying to pull us up on stage with the models! Brittany is good at this. Really good. We're all wearing designer dresses, of course. Brittany has long honey blonde hair and a flattering full figure. She isn't very skinny, but her curves are gorgeous. TenTen knows she looks smokin' hot in her green dress, so she can't complain too much. The second Hinata dons fierce makeup and shows off her body with all the right curves in this black and white sequined dress, she looks like a little vixen. I have to say I've greatly improved from high school, myself. I am wearing a white silk dress with black, brown and gray beading around the neckline. The dress has a figure-flattering empire waist. I'm wearing heavy eye makeup with smoky eyes and am going light with only slightly tinted lip gloss on my lips. With my spiky heels to match my dress, I fit in well with the rest of my gorgeous group.

We entered the introductory path to swanky venue with ease and many sets of eyes on us. Since it is an exclusive event, we're enjoying walking down the red carpet! Such an awesome experience! A member of the mob of paparazzi, no doubt mistaking us for Hollywood celebrities, started calling to us.

"Miss Haruno! Miss Haruno!" Huh? How do they know my name? Another cameraman started talking.

"Miss Haruno! You're the heiress to HarunoCorp, aren't you?"

"Uh. . ." Another reporter started talking.

"Who else has that pink hair?" He chuckled, causing me to lose my cool.

"What's wrong with my pink hair?" I snapped at him with my smile intact for the pictures, making the others very cautious. I was thinking I got through to them until I looked over to see TenTen walking over to them. "TenTen, no!"

"What? I was just going to talk to them. Promise." TenTen walked back to our group as we're waved on to enter the lobby for the fashion show.

We found our seats quite easily with help from some touchy-feely ushers. 'Great, just what I needed.' But before I sit down, a woman around my age with an ear piece looped around her ear tapped me on the shoulder.

"Miss Sakura Haruno?"

"Yes, that's me."

"You've been invited backstage to visit with the designer. You can follow me now."

I stepped out of the row to follow the young woman, looking back at my friends with a look of excitement and confusion. I rounded many corners and fell down the rabbit hole with this crazy journey to the backstage area, trying not to lose this young woman in the process. Damn these heels! I almost dropped my clutch after breaking through a group of people blocking a doorway!

Soon I entered the backstage area with clearance from the young woman. She led me to a worktable scattered with notes, double-sided tape and other accessories. The young woman instructed me to wait just a moment. I sat there for a few minutes, wondering what I'm doing back here. 'Maybe my dreams are coming true! I'm sure they're down one important model and the designer needs me to step in! I haven't felt like a model since. . .'

"Ayame! Oh, my gosh!" I couldn't believe it. The featured designer for the main show tonight is Ayame Otaka! Ayame, Naruto's fiancé . . .wait. What?

Ayame ran up to me and caught me in a bear hug. "You look amazing, Sakura! If I was down a model, I'd throw you in the mix in a heartbeat!" Dammit. No modeling contract today.

"Thank you, Ayame. That's flattering. Wow! This is incredible! SO exciting! I knew I'd see you here someday, but it's so soon! You must be even more awesome than I remember!"

"Ooh, girl! I'm fantastic! I'm launching my new fall line tonight."

"Huh? But it's barely springtime!"

Ayame threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, Sakura! You haven't changed too much! Not your personality, anyway, and I'm glad. Fashion designers introduce seasonal lines this early. It's perfectly normal. This gives buyers for major fashion retailers time to shop and order, and then our employees create huge quantities or even some altered styles of these pieces I'm showing today. By the time September rolls around, these beauties will just barely make it to store shelves and online sales."

"Oh. Never mind, then. Silly me! I guess I'm still a little bit clueless."

"Not from what I hear, Miss Haruno. The heiress to HarunoCorp?"

I blushed. "I didn't earn anything just by my name. If the heir to the business was to be a relative, my dad would be next in line."

"Oh. I hear you're a successful ad agent, so I figured you didn't just suck up to your granddad to get anything. You've always been a smart girl, and very cunning."

"Thank you, Ayame."

"And a little smitten kitten. I heard about you and Sasuke."

I choked. "What?"

Ayame's eyes lit up. "So it _is_ true! Oh, my gosh! Sakura, you broke Sasuke Uchiha's heart in high school!" Many of the models gasped and started chattering after overhearing that, and I received several death glares. So I suspect Sasuke has quite a reputation around the city already. I knew he entered the legal team with his family's business here in the city. TenTen had loads of information she was sharing, since she's basically one of his counterparts if a need for legal discussion between our businesses is ever needed.

I leaned in to whisper to Ayame. "Please keep your voice down. Sasuke and I are within rival companies. We can't let out information that we have a previous relationship."

"Oh, relax, Sakura. It was just childhood love. No harm done." Some of the models calmed down after hearing that, but not all of them. This was going to be a long show. I decided to redirect the conversation to Ayame's past love life in high school.

"So, have you heard from my brother recently?"

"What? Oh, yes. I've heard through other people, mostly. I heard he got that anchor position he was fighting so hard for. He'll be great at it. He was always so captivating when he spoke. He used to rally the guys on the basketball team before each game."

Even though it wasn't official in the first semester, by the last semester of Ayame and Naruto's senior year, they were definitely an exclusive couple. Ayame still attended Sandersville High, but that didn't stop them. They were together every weekend, and often driving to see each other after class. Ayame wasn't a cheerleader during the basketball season, so she was free to be in the stands with me for every one of Naruto's games as he led our school to the State Championships. Sadly, we were knocked off by the Union City Cavaliers by a handful of points. Ayame's hometown of Sandersville wasn't a great distance, so they didn't necessarily have a long-distance relationship. But they broke up after realizing Ayame's art school and his university was a much greater distance, and their relationship couldn't handle the strain at such a point in their young lives.

"He told me about his new fiancé , too." Ayame cast her eyes down to her feet, obviously still emotional. It's hard not to like Naruto, but Ayame was - possibly still is - in love with my brother.

"Yeah, he just told me."

"Really? Just now?"

"Yeah. I knew he's been dating someone for a while, but I didn't know how serious it was. She must've cast some sort of voodoo hex on him or something." Ayame and I giggled a bit, but we were both too emotional to really find the humor in it. The more I thought about it, I was beginning to believe myself about the voodoo hex. Who is this fiancé? My mom and dad didn't tell me, so they must have assumed I already knew. Then again, Naruto never mentioned her to me, either. How else would I know? All I know about this girl is that she lives in Rockport and is originally from Rockport. Now I'm feeling very guilty for being too busy at work to stop and notice my brother has fallen in love with a mystery woman. And I don't even know her name.

* * *

I went in to work the next day - Friday. Tomorrow, the girls and I are flying back home to Rockport. Hinata seems very happy to see her family again, since she hasn't been able to find the time until now. She hasn't been home since Christmas, and it's the middle of April now. Talk about homesick! TenTen doesn't wasn't to admit it, but I know she's happy to visit home, too.

Before giving my grandfather a big hug, I walked into my boss's office to make sure my workload was secure over my vacation time. He practically kicked me out of building, laughing a little but visibly weary of my constant worrying. Now I'm on my way home to finish packing.

When I walked into the apartment, I was greeted with an overwhelming aroma of a yummy chicken dinner.

"Hinata?" She peeked out of her room.

"Oh! There you are! Dinner's almost ready. I figured we'd better eat in. I'm not really packed yet."

"Thanks, Hinata! It smells delicious. I'm sort of packed, but I'm not really done yet."

"Are we gone for two weeks, then coming back on Sunday? Or are we coming back on that Saturday?"

"I got round-trip tickets for the three of us. We're coming back on Sunday morning. My stepmom already said she'd be happy to pick us up at the airport, so I'm sure she'll volunteer to drop us off then."

"Oh, okay. What's the weather like back home?"

"Well, we're in a bit of a springtime warm spell. I checked the weather - perfect for a wedding! It's being held at the country club."

"I didn't know your parents were member of the country club! I never saw you there!"

"Exactly."

"Oh. Definitely not your scene. Most of the men there were perverts, anyway." Hinata giggled. Yes, of course the mayor's family would belong to an elite country club. And the Hyyuga family, as well. But though I was never dragged to any of those boring dinners or other snooze-fests, we became friends of our own accord.

"I can just picture TenTen at that country club! She'd be attacking perverted guys with their own golf clubs!"

We both laughed and moved our way into the kitchen. "TenTen's coming over. She should be here any minute."

"Oh, good. She can sleep over. Did she bring her bags?" I peered over the stove top and was happy to see the carrots. Hinata makes them just the way I like them - she makes them sweet!

"Yep! I thought that would be a good idea. We could all go to the airport together. We're sitting together on the plane, too?"

"Yep!" There was a knock on the door, and we tossed open the door to pull TenTen inside, eat some dinner and finish packing. . .and to have a girls' night in. After learning that Ayame was not my brother's soon-to-be wife, I was greatly perturbed.

* * *

We safely landed back home, close to Rockport. My stepmom texted me that she was waiting out front in her white SUV. Plenty of help scattered about to help us carry out our bags. We just smiled and giggled at the attention. Boys are so stupid. But what can you do when you're this good-looking, right?

We made it home safely. We dropped Hinata off at the Hyuuga mansion, her parents' home. TenTen's parents moved to California soon after she graduated with her bachelor's degree, so TenTen is staying with me. My parents' home has never looked so beautiful. After the concrete jungle with the grime and stench, I was so happy to see trees, rolling green hills and beautiful flowers that weren't sitting in shop windows or in pretty pictures. The fresh air itself is enough to win me over.

"Isn't this wonderful, TenTen? Fresh air, a real breeze,the sun shining, and silky grass crunching under our feet?"

"Oh yeah, I've missed this. Your yard has always been my favorite training grounds."

"Really?"

"Heck yeah! Comfy!"

TenTen and I carried our bags up to my old room, which has been left just like it was while I lived there. I still have yellow walls and white bedroom furniture. It still smells the same to me, which I don't particularly like.

My dad knocked on the door before he swings it open to give me a hug. He gave me a kiss on the forehead, as well, making me feel more at home. Since TenTen is much like another daughter to him, she didn't escape a bear hug.

"How was your trip, girls?"

"Fine. What's for dinner? I'm already hungry." I knew Mom must've been making something good.

"Oh, didn't your mother tell you? We're going out. Naruto wanted to take out the whole family and important members of the wedding party to celebrate his promotion."

TenTen gasped. "Will his new fiancé be there?"

My dad chuckled. "Yes, she will be. And Naruto would like it if you and Hinata would join us."

TenTen gave him a nod. "Sure, Mr. Haruno. Where are we going?"

"_Amor Steakhouse_."

"It's just called _Amor_, Dad." I playfully slapped him on the shoulder.

"I know, but adding _steakhouse_ behind it makes it totally sound more macho, right?"

We laughed, shoving him out the door so we could get ready.

"Is your dad still the mayor? I don't know why I haven't asked before."

"Oh, no. He retired not too long after I graduated with my bachelor's. He's on the city council now, but that's way less work. He isn't as young as he used to be, you know."

"Yeah."

* * *

Ayame gave me one of her special side projects for evening dresses: a shiny platinum gray dress with vertical lines of black glass beads trailing down from the bust. It's a strappy dress with a defined sweetheart neckline. Clumped beading of the same black glass beads create an intricate pattern as a border just around the neckline. It's a gorgeous dress, and it looks like it was made just for me. Hm, I wonder if it was?

Hinata met us at the restaurant, dressed very nicely, as well. She, TenTen and I are sitting together at the very large round table Naruto has reserved for our party. TenTen and Hinata took seats to the left of me, and my father sat to my right, with an empty chair between us. I hoped it would soon contain Naruto's bride-to-be, so I could meet her and talk with her all night. There has been no sign of Naruto or his mystery woman yet, though.

"Your brother is very excited that you've come all the way here for the wedding."

"What? Is he kidding? Dad, he knows I'd swim a whole friggin' ocean to be here for him."

"That's what I thought." My father poured over the wine menu as our waiter came over to him to retrieve a wine order for our table.

"Psst, Hinata. TenTen."

"Hm?"

"Can you see through the big window? I want to know when Naruto and his fiancé are coming in."

"I can see the lobby, but I can't see out the door." Hinata craned her neck to see, but couldn't.

"I can see through the window a little bit, but there's a crowd inside the lobby now. Naruto shouldn't have to wait in line just to find our table, though. Oh, there he is! And he has a woman with him!"

I stood up and tried to see through groups of people. I thought I saw Naruto, but it was another man. But then I saw Naruto slide past a couple standing in the way. I wasted no time in running up to him.

"Naruto!"

He saw me when I yelled and smiled his signature beaming smile, but barely had time to catch me wen I jumped in his arms. We laughed, and he twirled me around a little bit like we used to.

"How was your trip, Saks?"

"Good. Fine. Congrats on the new. . ."

Oh. My. God. That couldn't be. . .

Karin?

"Hello, Sakura. Long time, no see."

I wanted to slap myself to end this dream. . .more like horrible nightmare. To confirm the single worst thing that could have ruined this special occasion, there on Karin's bony skank hand was my grandmother Uzumaki's 3-carat diamond heirloom ring. I felt dizzy, nauseous, depressed and angry all at once. I wanted to hurl. . .and to hurl a chair at the bitch. This was going to be a long dinner.

* * *

I sat in my chair, poking at my little plate containing a roll as an appetizer. I was lucky the empty seat beside me didn't go to that whore-bitch Karin, or else this fork I was holding a death-grip on would have long been inserted in her face.

To make matters worse, Ino Yamanaka had tagged along. Guess who was the Maid of Honor? That blonde bitch. Ino's hair is now in a short, asymmetrical bob. It's still a bleached and frazzled shade of light yellow - totally fake, and it looks like a cheap dye job. All I've heard about Ino since high school was that she flunked out of the local community college after hooplah involving a sex scandal with a few of the professors - one being female. I would never mean any offense to lesbians, but Ino Yamanaka is offensive just by breathing. She isn't a lesbian, but will engage in sexual acts with other women if she thinks she can get something out of it. She's just a skanky slut. Is that a cold sore on her lip? Very likely. I hear that Ino is now a cashier at her folks' flower shop, which is in a run-down corner unit downtown.

Karin, on the other hand, has remained a mystery to me. I didn't want to ever hear from her again. My main cause for hating Karin was when she saw me and Sasuke make eye contact and smile at each other in our math class. She decided to slink over and plop her diseased ass in his lap to flirt with him. There wasn't enough room for Sasuke to easily toss her out of his lap, but he sure as Hell tried. The teacher walked in at that moment and sent both of them to the principal's office for improper public display of affection. The joint detention sentence spread rumors all around the school, most of which involved Sasuke and Karin to be a very intimate couple. Karin certainly contributed to those rumors as often as she could. The insults she aimed at me hurt more than the libelous rumors she spread about me around the school. I could tell Karin was jealous of my radiant transformation, courtesy of Ayame and Keiko. Karin isn't very pretty, but her boisterous personality and skanky reputation acted as a smokescreen for her. . .um. . .shortcomings. Her 38B chest paled in comparison to my still-budding 34C chest (now at a 34D - not too bad for a natural size). I still dressed conservatively under my stepmother's orders, though. Karin was always generally unlikeable. You couldn't reason with her, impress her or ever get on her good side. If you weren't her close friend, you were an enemy. She wasn't to keen on loyalty, though, since she really had no morals. Karin was just a train wreck, and she was going to plow over (or just plow, if she was horny) anyone who got stuck on the tracks.

Now I see my brother's foot stuck on a rail. What do I do? This night couldn't possibly get any worse.

Oh, shit. I spoke too soon.

In walked a tall 26-year-old Sasuke Uchiha. He. . .is a Greek god. Sasuke was wearing an expensive Armani suit from their spring collection, and it likely looked better on him than it did on the model. I think I remember seeing that campaign a while back, at the office. Yep, Sasuke's hotter. He appears to be about 6'2, with a lean and muscular build. Even though he's been in the same city as I have been, he seemed to have taken a trip somewhere. He had a sun-kissed glow to him, so he must've vacationed somewhere with a bit of sun. His hairstyle hasn't changed all too much, though it is much more clean-cut. He seems to still like the spiky bedhead look, but it's noticeably more tame.

Oh, my God. He's walking over to my side of the table.

"Hey, Sasuke! You finally made it!" Naruto stood up to give him a big hug, but Sasuke managed to dodge it. Naruto has always been big on hugging. I don't know why.

He spoke. The god's lips parted. "Yes. I'm sorry for the delay. My flight had a layover in Newark, and we spent half an hour on the pavement before we even taxied out to take off."

"Hey, sometimes airports have Hellish traffic, too!"

"Yes, Newark is difficult to maneuver." Sasuke glanced around the table after shaking hands with Naruto, disappointing my overly-affectionate brother. Karin didn't make eye contact with him at all, and he seemed to pass by her without even noticing who it was.

Sasuke moved around to my side of the table and looked directly at my face before looking away. Did he look nervous? No way.

"Hello, Sasuke! How have you been?" My dad shook hands with the prominent Uchiha.

"Um, well, not so well, unfortunately. My brother. . ." Sasuke trailed off, indicating that all was not well with Itachi. I was concerned. Even though Sasuke and I fell apart, I always cared for Itachi in a platonic way. He happened to be a good friend. But Sasuke didn't finish. His eyes fluttered closed, and he blinked several times before gawking at Karin.

'Oh, so I suppose he was clueless as to Naruto's fiancé's identity, too. '

After Sasuke's eyes receded back into their sockets, his jaw was hinged closed and our waiter poured his third or fourth glass of wine, I looked over at him and swallowed the lump in my throat.

"Sasuke."

He glanced up, but didn't look in my direction. He didn't seem to want to talk with me. What an egotistical jerk. That son of-

"You're wondering about Itachi, aren't you? I'm surprised you haven't heard yet."

I stared at him incredulously. His velvety voice I heard a short while ago changed into a deep, rich tone that didn't need a high volume to send shivers down your spine. And that's exactly what happened to my spine.

"No, I haven't. Please tell me. I'd like to know." I whispered, but tried to sound as sweet, pleasant and interested as possible to try to establish and maintain civility at this table tonight. But I wasn't prepared for what that Adonis declared.

"Itachi's dead. I killed him."

* * *

**A.N: This takes on a very different tone, and there are more forks in the road or even some bumps (more like craters and sinkholes) in the future. Now we're more in a present-day setting, but not too far in the future from the starting point. For a timeline, Naruto and Sasuke graduated in 2004. Sakura graduated in 2006. It is now Spring 2012/2013.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Pink With Envy Ch. 6  
**

A/N: I do not claim ownership of or infringe upon the copyrights of the Naruto series. I merely use popular characters for recreational, non-profit fan-fiction.

**This chapter is rated M for profane language and suggestive themes.**

* * *

**Sakura's POV in entirety** **(entire chapter)**

What the Hell does he mean, "I killed him?" Itachi? His brother? All I knew is that I needed fresh air.

I practically jumped up from the table and, with Sasuke steadying the back of my chair, I clumsily patted my father's shoulder for reassurance as I passed him to an empty balcony without outdoor tables. TenTen and Hinata looked worried, but I knew they would comfort me later. Dodging cigarette butts with my delicate heels, I figured the balcony is meant for smokers; but no one was currently out there. I just needed to think. This was all too much. I needed a moment to myself to regain my composure and just get through this.

Too bad I was followed.

"You dropped this." Sasuke appeared next to me, holding my iPhone. My lifeline. Hey, I'm a businesswoman. Don't judge. And I can watch Youtube videos whenever I want! My goodness, there could be a new video of a kitten playing the piano! Dammit, I need that phone back, pronto!

"Th-thank you." I tried to hastily take my phone from his outstretched hand. But he didn't let go. His other hand came out of nowhere and firmly grabbed my wrist. Sasuke then led me to a side of the balcony where we wouldn't be seen by other patrons of the restaurant.

"Ow! Sasuke! You're hurting me. What the fu-"

He leaned in close to me, to the point where all I could stare at were the whites of his eyes. My breath hitched in my throat, and I couldn't finish my sentence.

"All this time, we've been living and working in the same city. It wouldn't take much at all for you to get my cell number or email address, or even leave a message for me at the front desk. But you couldn't act mature if your life depended on it. You've never been able to handle responsibility like a-"

Who the Hell does this guy think he is? "Hey! Wait a Goddamn minute here, Mister. The same goes for you. Not that I would've wanted to-"

"Let me finish. You at least owe me that."

'What a real piece of work. I don't owe you a thing, Sasuke.'I didn't say that aloud, but my piercing, hate-filled eyes gave away what I was thinking. He knows I have a sharp tongue. He once considered it one of my more endearing qualities.

His stone cold eyes with a flicker of spite gave me a silent warning that felt even more dangerous than his sharp, heavy tone. "Of all this time, you had plenty of opportunities to at least give me the courtesy of a heads-up."

"Huh? What do you mean, 'heads-up?'"

"Don't play dumb with me, Sakura. You know damn well what has me practically crawling out of my skin at that table." He noticed my eyes glancing away as I assumed he was talking about how I'm making him feel in my presence. "And it isn't you. I'm talking about. . .her."

He still doesn't want to utter her name. Karin was a real piece of work. After witnessing and hearing even more of the abuse Karin put me through - after his horrible experience with Karin - Sasuke grew to loathe Karin. Sasuke could punch a hole through a wall at the mere mention of the devil whore's name. He hated her with a passion. But since Sasuke moved on to bigger and better things while Karin stayed in Rockport to do nothing - well, I'm sure she was doing _something_. . .oh, God! She must be _doing_ my brother! No, Naruto! Are you an idiot? What do I do?

My tone changed to a lighter, more controlled whisper.

"I know. I mean, I know what you're talking about. But to be perfectly honest, I knew about her only about ten minutes before you got here."

"What? You're lying."

"No, I'm not. I was expecting Ayame Otaka until I ran into her at a fashion show back in the city the other night. I didn't know he was even dating her."

"So you're telling me you didn't know who your brother was marrying until tonight?"

"Well. . .yes." I looked away, ashamed at myself for getting emotional with returning pangs of guilt. But none for him. I was merely guilt-tripping over not knowing more about my brother's personal life.

Sasuke noticed and released my wrist and iPhone. He also took notice of the dark red mark he left on my wrist. It will likely bruise or at least be very sore tomorrow.

"I'm. . .sorry. For your wrist." Sasuke looked away as well, obviously fixated on the nothingness I was looking at.

The balcony overlooked a smallish man-made lake. It was past 8:00 p.m. The sun had already set, but there was enough light from the restaurant to see the beautiful surroundings reflecting and dancing on the water surface. It was quite beautiful. I just wish I didn't have to share this moment with Sasuke. No, I would have felt much more differently back when we were still dating. Oh, that takes me back. . .back to that night. . .

**_FLASHBACK TO APRIL 2004, 1:30 a.m._**

_*ring ring*_

_"Hello?"_

_"Sasuke?"_

_"Sakura? What is it? Is everything alright?" He can tell I have been crying._

_I sniffled into the phone. "Uh, yeah. Everything's fine. I really need to talk to you."_

_"Well, can it wait until morning?"_

_"Oh, sorry. I didn't notice the time until now. I've. . .been thinking. . ."_

_"About what? Sakura, do I need to come over? I can."_

_"And worrying. . ."_

_"What is it, Sakura? Is this about Naruto? I swear I'll tell him about us just as-"_

_"No, it isn't about Naruto. It's about me. And you. There's something I need to tell you."_

_Sasuke's tone grew darker. He was getting really worried. "Please, tell me. No matter what it is, everything will be alr-"_

_"Iprfphgnght." I couldn't form coherent words through my choked sobs.  
_

_Sasuke was quiet for a minute. "What? That was kind of garbled."_

_I sat down at my bedroom desk and sharply took in air to help calm my nerves, then I exhaled a very shaky breath. 'It's now or never. Whatever happens, happens.'_

_"I'm pregnant."_

**_END FLASHBACK_**

* * *

I surprised myself. After only five minutes of standing silently next to Sasuke on the balcony, I felt tears rolling down my cheeks. I was so embarrassed! Not now, girl! Hold it together! I can maintain perfect self-control even in some of the most intense, high-pressure situations. That's one of the reasons why I'm good at my job - don't ever let them see you sweat. But this? What do I do about this? One look from the Uchiha and I'm an emotional wreck. I've gone out with plenty of guys since Sasuke. Well, maybe not a whole bunch. But I could never. . .connect with any of them. I couldn't envision the overwhelming passion that Sasuke showed me. It was enough to send me into a high. It was a dreamworld; our dream. No one, not even one guy I've ever met, quite compared to Sasuke. And I hate it.

"Sakura?" Sasuke sounded a little worried, but I know he hates me. He won't spend any time comforting me. I'm not the little weakling he left.

"Itachi."

Sasuke was silent. He turned his head back and stared off towards the lake again.

"Hn."

I suppose that was a cue to go ahead and ask the inevitable question. It has been so long that I almost forgot how to translate the infamous Uchiha grunt.

"What happened?"

Sasuke sighed. His left hand came up to his face, and his fingers pinched the bridge of his nose as if to help quell a headache.

"My brother, he. . .he. . .wasn't exactly who I thought. No one knew the real person inside him. He. . .had a demon living inside him. His dark side was absolutely terrifying. I didn't murder him, if that's what you're thinking. I just tried to stop him, but it was too late."

I didn't know what to think. What could Itachi have possibly done to make someone want to kill him? He was a successful businessman in his family's company, of course. A real prodigy. I got to know Itachi so well before Sasuke and I ended our relationship. He checked in with me to help me through. . .my difficult time. I didn't want to hear anymore. As far as I'm concerned, Sasuke may very well be lying to me. I'm quite certain Sasuke isn't a murderer, but nowadays I don't know what to think. I don't know this man anymore. He isn't a teenager anymore; now he's a grown man with different ideals, opinions and behaviors. He has a totally different personality and outlook on life. This is not the Sasuke Uchiha I fell in love with and almost started a life with.

"My family and friends are waiting. I don't want them to get worried." I ignored any looks he gave me, because I didn't want to know. Whatever emotions he held, I'm sure they would just end up hurting me. _Sasuke_ will end up hurting me again. I don't know if I could survive it.

I returned to the table only to ghost behind TenTen and Sakura's chairs. I simply tapped the backs of the chairs, and they immediately understood. They simultaneously stood up to go to the ladies' room with me. Karin and Ino need not follow, lest we paint the walls crimson tonight.

When we courteously and discreetly left earshot of pretty much anyone at all, I couldn't hold back anymore. Just before entering the ladies' sitting area for the restrooms, I burst into tears. TenTen and Hinata encircled me in their arms, and we all cried a little. They knew everything between me and Sasuke, and were just as surprised at his attendance as I was. God, I am so stupid! Why wouldn't he be there for his best friend's wedding?

"He's the Best Man, Sakura." TenTen brought tissue over to me to reduce the amount of makeup smudges on my face, while Hinata emptied out our bags for makeup tools.

I nodded my head, not surprised in the least.

"Why is this happening to my family? Did we do something wrong? I mean, this couldn't be punishment for cheating on one test. One test! Just once, the only time in my entire college career! I donate to charity, I volunteer with local youth through the company, and. . .I pay my taxes on time! What else did I leave out that could possibly be. . .is it because I don't regularly attend church? I pray! I pray all the time! But it's never worked, has it? I prayed and prayed before, and nothing was answered. Not one."

Hinata sat back, noticing we weren't quite finished with my tearful tirade.

"Sakura, don't say such things. If it wasn't meant to be, then it wasn't meant to be. Do not blame yourself. It wasn't your fault."

My head, which was stuck between my knees, shot up to unfairly glare daggers at Hinata and TenTen, though my anger and hatred was not directed at them.

"No, it wasn't, was it? We all know whose fault it was."

TenTen and Hinata gasped. We all remember that night. . .

* * *

**_FLASHBACK TO MAY 2004, THE AFTERNOON BEFORE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION_**

_"No, Karin." I slapped her hand away from mine._

_Karin and Ino had me cornered against a group of lockers. Karin was preparing for her graduation and was not due in class today, though returning students still had another week of classes left in the semester. Ino was just skipping her classes to hang out with Karin. Karin easily spotted the ring I was cleverly wearing on my right hand instead of my left, but she had a feeling it had something to do with my secret relationship with Sasuke. She and Ino knew. They watch Sasuke even more intently than the usual watchful eyes that seemed to follow his every step. They wouldn't tell, since rumors that the new and improved Sakura was dating the hottest guy in school might actually increase my popularity.  
_

_"Aw, come on, forehead girl. If you're going to act like a little bitch, at least let me write it on that billboard brow of yours so the whole school can see it." Karin held a permanent marker in her hand._

_"What were you trying to do with the makeover, Sakura? Did you think someone as handsome as Kiba or Sasuke would take notice? Huh? Did you think they'd even give you the time of day? You're just another little slut. You'll try to copy us to get-"_

_I spat in Ino's face. After all we'd been through, she treats me like this? I was not about to just stand there and take that. . .because after I spit in Ino's face, I ran down the hallway. In my condition, I couldn't fight them. I was seven weeks pregnant, confirmed at the free women's health clinic. I informed no one but Sasuke, Hinata and TenTen about my current condition. I told no one else, and I knew my best friends would never let the information leave our small circle. But I think Sasuke told Itachi._

_Sasuke and I had recently decided we were going to have the baby and stay together. Sasuke was studying two different AP college-credit courses that semester to help gear him towards law school; his father had already instructed him where to go and what to do. But Sasuke wasn't really complaining. He had a lot on his mind at the moment. I felt a little guilty, thinking that I was to blame for the added stress in his life He just received an injury that took him out of a good portion of the previous semester as he recovered from injuries - it's a wonder how he did so well this semester and kept his GPA so high. He did have a medical excuse, though, and was able to make up his work. But now that his football career was ruined, I got knocked up and threw so much more responsibility onto him. The only thing that keeps me going with my head held up high would be how dedicated Sasuke is to me and the baby growing inside me. He was graduating tomorrow, and planned to immediately move into an apartment to 'get a head-start,' as he told his father. He wanted me to go with him. I would only be sixteen this summer, but he said I could finish high school locally with my parents' permission. I was sure my parents would be supportive and would help me finish school at home in Rockport, but Sasuke said he wanted to have his family with him. He wanted me and the baby._

_You do know what they say about dreams, don't you? 'If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.'_

_Ino and Karin caught up to me as I approached a stairwell connecting two different portions of the school building's east wing. There wasn't a security camera in this particular nook, but I wasn't thinking about that at the time. I was trying to escape or to find a teacher. Someone. Anyone. I couldn't fight in my condition, but I couldn't tell them about the baby._

_Determined to run, I grabbed the railing. But Karin was right on my back. She got a good grip on my backpack. But the strap broke on the right side, pulling me backwards. The left-side strap was still around my shoulder, but the force from Karin's grip on the backpack stripped the strap off my shoulder. Already off balance, the strap removed my hand from the railing in the process of being stripped off my body. I remember hearing Ino's voice calling my name after she gasped. Then I felt her grip my shirt sleeve. . .to pull me back. But her surprisingly good intentions came all too late. Head first, I tumbled down the flight of 12 tile steps on cold, hard concrete slabs. The first impact between the steps and my head did hurt, but the second was incredibly painful. I don't even remember feeling the others. My body laid crumpled and twisted in a mangled pile of blood and torn flesh. I don't even remember hitting the landing._

_I only remember waking up in the hospital. I was upset because my parents were going to kill me. But when I opened my eyes, I saw Naruto first._

_"Mom! Dad! She's awake!" He leaned in over me and started talking to me soothingly. My parents rushed over and appeared in front of my face. My neck was in a brace, which explained why I couldn't move my head at all. I learned that I had a fractured fibula in my arm, a broken collar bone on the other arm, a broken nose, a sprained but not broken ankle, a chipped tooth, and a moderate concussion._

_My stepmother stepped out to find the doctor, since I was awake. My dad stayed a little while longer until he left to find me something to drink besides hospital tap water from the pitcher that had been sitting next to my bed for quite a while. Then it was just me and Naruto. I was still a bit disoriented, since they pumped me full of very. . ._relaxing_ pain meds. But I was confused, as well, and wanted answers._

_"How long have I been here?"_

_Naruto moved stray hairs from my sticky forehead. "Three days."_

_"Oh, God! Your graduation! I missed it!"_

_He chuckled. "Yeah. I did, too. I got my diploma, but I wanted to be here with you way more."_

_I thought that was sweet. But I had more questions. "Did Ayame come to see me?"_

_"Yeah, actually. She sent you a gift basket. Nice girly stuff in it. She said I'd have to pamper you until you heal. I'm not touching your feet; sorry. I hate feet."_

_I laughed as much as I could in my state. "But what about. . ."_

_Naruto looked at me, confused. "What?"_

_"Did Sasuke come to see me?"_

_Naruto's eyelids lowered, and any traces of laughter in his face disappeared. "No."_

_I didn't sense anything wrong, since I was still out of it. "Where is he?"_

_"He isn't coming."_

_I was really confused, and now I was depressed. And I didn't know why. I closed my eyes after Naruto took my frail hand in his and softly told me to rest and not to worry about anything._

_**END FLASHBACK**  
_

* * *

After Hinata and TenTen did impeccable work reconstructing my face in the ladies' room, we nonchalantly glided back to the table. The food orders we placed just before I walked out onto the balcony had not arrived yet. We did have a very large group, after all.

"Did you have a nice vacation, Sakura?" My father eyed me suspiciously.

"Huh?"

"I was about to send your mother in to look for you. You had us worried there for a minute. I hope everything's alright."

Sasuke looked down at his lap, pretending to be interested in the texture of his clothing. I paid him no mind.

"Of course everything's alright, Dad. We just get carried away when we start chatting. If we were in the same department, we'd never get work done."

Sasuke snorted. It was barely audible, but it reached my ears. My father easily wrote it off as Sasuke's typical reaction to the thought of women too busy gossiping to get work done. But I knew better.

We got through the rest of the dinner without having to make any other small talk. I let my parents do all the talking with Karin and Ino.

* * *

TenTen decided to spend the night at Hinata's house tonight. After my breakdown, the girls felt that I shouldn't be alone. I felt a bit smothered, though. I really am so thrilled I have such great friends, but I didn't really feel like talking about it, much less having them beat it to death. They eventually caught on to my new relationship with my stepmother. The girls remember us being distant with each other, but my stepmom and I grew much closer after my accident. So they left me with my family to discuss it. They'll get tan earful tomorrow, and they're probably enjoying talking about all of it behind my back right now and trying to find ways to cheer me up. My stepmother, though, could give me real advice that would really help me figure out what to do. She really helped me out in the toughest time of my life. . .

* * *

_**FLASHBACK TO THE SAME DAY SAKURA AWOKE IN THE HOSPITAL  
**_

_A few hours had passed when I woke up from my nap. Naruto was no longer at my side. Now my stepmother was sitting in the corner of my hospital bed. Some middle-aged man in a white coat was to my left, checking on a machine. He looked over to me when I stirred. _

_"Oh, well hello there! I'm your doctor, Miss Haruno. Dr. Meyers. How are you feeling?" He pulled my eyelids back to check for something, though I didn't know what._

_"Groggy. I can definitely tell some things are broken. My neck is sore, but it doesn't hurt as badly as my arms and legs."_

_"Your neck isn't broken, thank goodness. You're banged up, but you're very lucky."_

_"Is my. . ."_

_"Yes?"_

_"I'm. . ."_

_"Pregnant?" They knew. Oh, God. What were they going to say? What were they going to do?_

_"Miss Uzumaki."_

_"Dr. Meyers. It's Mrs. Haruno now. How is she?"_

_"My apologies, I forgot. Her vitals are doing good. I think she'll be able to go home in a few days, actually. She'll be immobile for a while, though."_

_"What about my baby?" I looked up at them, extremely annoyed that I was being ignored and treated like a kid. Well, I kind of was._

_Dr. Meyers looked back at me, but he didn't say a word. I must not be good new, then._

_"Let me talk to her."_

_Dr. Meyers gave her a nod and left the room. My stepmother moved over to take a seat at the chair Naruto finally freed up once my father convinced him to go home with him and get some sleep._

_"Sweetheart, you lost the baby."_

_I had never cried so hard before in my life. If someone else was on the outside and looking in, they might've thought it was a little silly to be crying over something I only had for a short while. I was barely pregnant and had only known about it for a few weeks. But Sasuke and I were so excited. . .wait. Does Sasuke know?_

_My stepmother was leaning over towards the bed, stroking my hair as I cried. _

_"Shh. It's okay. It wasn't meant to be. It'll be okay. There are so many other opportunities. I know it hurts, but you can't just concentrate on the bad when life has so many possibilities for happiness."_

_"Does Sasuke know?"_

_"No one else knows but you and me." She thought I was talking only about the pregnancy. Though it was a relief to know she was keeping this between us._

_"No, Sasuke already knew about the baby. I was going to keep it. Sasuke was supportive."_

_"What?" For some reason, my stepmother wasn't too happy when she heard that._

_"I wanted my baby. I mean, it wasn't planned or anything."_

_"Sakura, we didn't even know you were dating him. Why didn't you tell us? And why weren't you more careful? You didn't protect yourself. If you had just come to me, I wouldn't have hesitated to take you to the doctor to get birth control pills. Urges and curiosity are perfectly normal, but-"_

_"It wasn't curiosity, Mom. Sasuke and I are in love."_

_She was eerily silent. Maybe I got through to her._

_"Your father doesn't know anything, but Naruto is heartbroken that his best friend kept a relationship with his sister a secret. We don't want you to see that boy anymore."_

_What? I guess I didn't._

_**END FLASHBACK**_

* * *

My stepmother knocked on my door and cracked it open, just like I knew she would. How I hoped she would.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure." I was sitting on my bed with my laptop in my lap, looking over some things that were emailed to me from the office. I closed it and moved to sit on my bed. She took a chair in the corner and pulled it closer to be in range for conversation.

"Is everything alright?"

I sighed. "This isn't easy. I didn't expect to see him there. To make matters worse, he had to sit next to me. But worst of all is Karin."

"Your brother's fiancé ?"

"I didn't know who it was! I thought it was Ayane Otaka, his old girlfriend! I heard that they were talking again, so I assumed they hooked back up. I _so_ wish it was Ayane." My head fell in my lap.

"Is that why you don't like Karin?"

My head shot up. I glared. I hate hearing that bitch's name. I certainly don't want to hear her name uttered in my family's home. And I'll be damned if that piece of trash walks down the aisle towards my brother! I'll swear it now, in front of anyone present! You are all witnesses!

"Karin and I were rivals in high school. We really didn't like each other. It was probably safe to say we hated each other. Ino and I weren't friends after she met her. They both hated me, and I can say the feeling was mutual."

"Oh, Sakura. Don't let teenage emotions get in the way. Not now. Karin is a wonderful young lady, and she loves your brother. Isn't that enough."

I snorted. 'Oh, if you only knew. . .you definitely wouldn't be referring to her as a lady. That slut is like a village bicycle. Everyone's had a ride.'

"Sakura. You're much too mature for that nonsense. C'mon. Forget about the past. They haven't said or done anything to you since, have they?"

"Well, no. But I left-"

"Then how can you still judge them on the same level? After seeing you last night, I seriously doubt they can see you the same way, either."

I sighed again. "This is going to be impossible. I'm not about to buddy up to her and welcome her into the family. I can't honestly say she's welcome."

"Sakura! That was rude and incredibly selfish! That is not your decision to make. Your brother made that decision when he gave her that ring. Are you going to tell him that?"

Oh, God, I haven't even thought about what I could possibly say to Naruto. 'Hey, I hate your fiancé .' Or maybe, 'Karin is a fucking whore. I'm surprised your dick hasn't fallen off yet.' Or how about the inevitable, 'Did you know that your so-called best friend knocked me up when I was only 15 years old? Oh, and guess what else? Your fiancé made my life a living Hell in high school. In fact, she pushed me down a flight of stairs and made me have a miscarriage! Good luck on your upcoming nuptials!' What the fuck am I going to do? TenTen and Hinata can't possibly help me with this. No one can.

"I can pretend like I don't remember the cruelty she subjected me to, but I won't be happy. I don't think she deserves Naruto."

"Maybe you aren't the only one who has changed since high school, Sakura."

Oh, man. She could very well be right. And I hate it when she's right! When she's right, that usually means I was wrong!

"I think that dealing with Sasuke is going to be a much more difficult task. There's no way I can pretend to forget all about him. We haven't spoken since he berated me and blamed losing the baby on me. He thought I did it on purpose. He told me. . ." I couldn't hold back the tears. I tried my best to forget about losing the baby that was barely even there. But it was my baby, my unborn child. It was a life, a soul with a growing body that I was nurturing and already loved unconditionally. I was going to be a mother. Sasuke was going to be a father. He and I. . .we were going to be a family. We were in love.

My stepmother moved to my side on the edge of the bed. She put her arms around my shoulders and rubbed them soothingly. "Shh. I know this won't be easy for you at all, but it's a new day. Years have passed. Everything is different now. You've grown up so much, and so has he. Maybe you two should sit down over coffee and work things out between you. I'm not saying you should rekindle anything, necessarily, but things really should be straightened out. I can't believe you never said anything to him. He didn't make any right decisions by doing what he did and hurting you so much, but he deserves to know the truth."

I sniffled and wiped away a stray tear from my cheek. "You're probably right. It'll hurt, but I guess I'll have to swallow my pride a little to break the ice. I'll see what I can do."

"Good. It's never a good thing to leave something broken without trying to fix it. If you don't at least try, then I don't think you should be allowed to complain about it. But I know that whatever you do will be the right choice. You've always made the right choices. I know that because you've always followed your heart. You love what you do in the company, right?"

"I love it. Even the paperwork. I'm proud of what I've accomplished. I really am."

"Then you're very lucky. You're able to do what you love and succeed at it. You're successful. And you did it on your own. Even when someone extended a hand to you for a leg up, you started at the bottom. That really speaks for your character. You're a hard worker, you can't stop caring, and you're extremely trustworthy. You're a good person, Sakura. Your father and I are very proud of you."

"Thanks."

"You and Sasuke. . .yout two really were in love. I never would have approved at your age, and considering what happened. . .but I could tell it had to have been the real thing. You had so much love and trust for him. Every time you looked at him, you showed so much love and care. Young girls are notorious for falling in love with their 'firsts,' but what captivated me was the way Sasuke looked right back at you with the same amount of love and care. He trusted you. I think that's why he took it so hard."

"I loved him, Mom."

"I know, baby. And he loved you, too. But if it didn't last, then it wasn't meant to be. Because love is like energy. You can't really destroy it. It doesn't fade over time or simply vanish. Love doesn't just disappear. You can't conquer it, you can't beat it, and you can't run or hide from it. You have to face it head-on and embrace it. It's never easy. But nothing so good ever is going to be easy. Your line of work teaches you that. You work hard to get a big account or put in serious overtime to complete a great project. It certainly isn't easy, but the rewards are great. Love is worth fighting for. Sometimes you have to work hard for it."

I was silent and just let her words sink in.

"You may not understand yet, but you will. I'm not saying love is all you need, and I'm not saying it always works out the way you want it to; all I'm trying to say is that if your love is real, then it's worth whatever obstacles you have to endure to try to find it - or to keep it."

My stepmother leaned over and gave me a comforting kiss on my forehead. She stood up and walked over to my door. "Your father is already in bed. I'm going to turn in for the night, too. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem, Saks. I'll see you at breakfast. Scrambled eggs, just how you like them. And chocolate chip waffles. The whole nine yards. Whatever you want."

"Thanks, Mom. Good night."

"Good night, sweetheart. Sleep well." My stepmother closed the door gently behind her and left me to my own thoughts.

I laid on my bed, on the unfolded comforter of my made-up bed, for what seemed like forever. My mind was racing, and I knew I was going to have trouble sleeping. I sighed and gave up, knowing that my stepmom was right. There really wasn't a way out of it. Sasuke deserved to know. I'll see if I can break away from the girls and pull him aside somewhere in town tomorrow. Naruto likely has his cell phone number, so I'll do what I can to try to clear the air. I won't be able to make peace with any of it and move on until I do.

Everything in my body ached, and I could feel the weight on me. I needed to try to go to sleep. So I needed to get ready to go to bed. One problem was that I couldn't find any toothpaste in my bathroom, since I have not been inside this house at all in almost a year. There's no telling what gets left and what gets tossed after I leave. My stepmom is a neat freak, and cleans like a crazy woman.

Dressed in my very comfy white cotton pajama set with a spaghetti strap tank top and shorts, adorned with a pink sakura tree branch screenprint, I set out to another bathroom upstairs to find some toothpaste. The only one that would contain a supply of toiletries would be Naruto's. So I strolled down the hallway until I came across his cracked door. He was not here. He took Karin back to Ino's house, where she was staying until the wedding. I didn't know why she was not staying with her parents, or why they weren't at the dinner, and I didn't care. Naruto ended up texting me not too long after he left, informing me that he was going to spend the night at Kiba' house after an impromptu bachelor's party. He'll probably be drunk and incoherent in a matter of minutes, and he'll probably do something he'll regret in the morning but have fun doing all of it tonight. Goody for him.

I opened the door and stepped into his room. He must've left the light on. Not much at all looked different, with the exception of his travel bags on the bed and close to the door. He had several in here. Jesus, Naruto, do you ever pack light? The bags in our old rooms felt a little odd to me. Just in general, it's an odd feeling to be a guest in your own house, the one you grew up in.

Naruto's bathroom is to the right, so I crept over to the door. It was closed and locked. That was surprising, since I knew Naruto was gone. I didn't hear anything, though. The shower or sink was not running. Wait. Is that someone's feet shuffling on the tile floor? Oh, they're coming to the door-

The door swung open, and I was met face-to-face with a fresh and clean, soaking wet, God-like 26-year-old Sasuke Uchiha. His slate gray eyes were as big as mine, and bulging out just as far as mine. He was obviously just as surprised as I was. His hair was slicked down from the water and stuck to his face and forehead. His lightly sun-kissed skin seemed to glow, even in a dim-lit doorway between a bathroom and a bedroom. His muscles, sculpted in an even more masculine form than when he was only 17 years old, rippled under his wet and glowing skin.

Holy 6-pound, 7-ounce sweet baby Jesus.

"S-Sakura? What are you doing in here?"

"I. . .uh. . .I. . .I. . ." Yep. That was all my mouth could formulate. My brain was sending signals to my voicebox, but considering the fact that my nerves (and my entire body) were going haywire, the message might've been lost in transit. Should've sent it via FedEx.

I took in Sasuke's facial expression. He was shocked, but he was also embarrassed. As such as I wanted to tell him, 'Honey, you ain't got nothin' to be embarrassed about, believe me,' I wasn't about to stroke his ego. Fair warning: never stroke an Uchiha's ego. But that cute tinge of pink on his cheeks and nose happened to be a blush. Blushing? Embarrassment? An Uchiha? No! After all the times he made fun of me and my innocent blush, I feel like I'm owed a little payback.

"Well, I have to say that having the shoe on the other foot is quite enjoyable. Nice blush." I smirked a Sasuke smirk. It's notably a little seductive, a little teasing, and a whole lot of cockiness. If only I could back that up. I'm a really good smart-ass, though, so that should be enough.

"Nice rack. Where have those been hiding?" Sasuke recovered from his situation a little quicker than I had counted on. Ooh, that bastard. Now I'm pissed.

"Tch. Shut up, moron." I moved to try to side-step him to enter Naruto's bathroom, but he shifted to block me. We brushed up against each other. I felt his warm body against mine once again, just for a brief second. It was enough to make me feel alive again, but also enough to make me die a little inside. I remembered enough to know exactly what I was missing. I stepped back immediately; I couldn't take that intense feeling.

"Where do you think you're going?" He hid it, but I could tell he had some kind of reaction from our close interaction.

"I need to borrow my brother's toothpaste. Why in the Hell are you even here?"

"I'm spending the night with Naruto. Or at least that was the plan."

"What's wrong with your parents' house?"

Sasuke looked away. Something bad must've happened between him and his parents. But I knew he could've afforded a hotel - a luxury penthouse suite, actually. I guess he's a little mroe sensitive than he'd like people to know, and wanted to be with his best friend. But Naruto is at Kiba's at the moment.

"Why are you here if Naruto isn't here?"

"I turned down the offer to attend that pervert-fest at Kiba's. Do you know about it?"

"The bachelor party? Yes. Why aren't you going? Aren't you the Best Man?"

"Yeah, but that just isn't my scene."

I scoffed. "That isn't what I hear. I couldn't go backstage at a fashion show without models freaking out at the mere mention of your name."

"That's because a magazine published some list of bachelors in the city, and I was somewhere on the list."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, I believe that magazine owes me an interview to dispute whatever claims they-"

"Stop it." Sasuke plainly scolded me. He didn't raise his voice, nor did he lace it with hatred or anger. He just plainly told me to stop. I was a bit taken aback. But that wasn't all. That wasn't what shocked me to the core.

Sasuke took a hold of both my upper arms and dragged me forward. He leaned in and captured my lips in a chaste kiss. It was a little longer than a peck, but meaningful. I don't know what the meaning was, but I'm sure there was one.

He pulled back quickly and searched my face while I searched his. I was surprised, to say the least. But I was also angry. How dare he! The fucking nerve of this guy!

I pulled my forearms straight up and brought them down again as I found an easy way to slap his arms away from me with a good amount of force. I hope it stung.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Now I was just angry. How dare he try to take advantage of me!

"What?" He was confused. I hate to admit that he was adorable with the confused look on his face. He stepped back, though, when he saw red flash in my eyes.

"What the Hell are you thinking? How dare you try to manipulate me! I'm not one of your fucking whores! I'm not some brainless model you can take back to your place and bang! I'm your childhood ex-girlfriend! You dumped me at one of the lowest points of my life! You're scum! You're not fit to scrape off the bottom of my Louboutin heels!"

Sasuke was silent. I wasn't sure whether I preferred it. I didn't know what I wanted him to say. What could he say? He can't say anything that wouldn't piss me off. But he did say something.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. We need to talk."

I wanted to slap my forehead. My stepmother was right. But to avoid any more unpleasantries, I needed to disconnect myself from my inner emotions and just look at this like a business deal. I took a deep breath or two and composed myself. Then I gave a proposition which granted a compromise and temporary truce.

"I agree. Let me take you out for lunch tomorrow. We can discuss things then. We can either settle our differences like adults or at least come to some sort of arrangement to make everything go smoothly for this wedding. We both have enough problems with this wedding. I have to find a way to. . .never mind." I restrained myself from blabbing. I wanted to just come out and say that I had every intention to to concoct a plan to break off this engagement, no matter what ti takes. But that would be bad. What if Sasuke went right back to Naruto and spilled the beans, just to spite me? No way. This man in front of me is not someone I know, and he cannot be trusted. He is a lawyer, after all. Do not trust him.

"That sounds fine. We probably need to do that. Let's just forget about what happened tonight and discuss it tomorrow. Now, may I get dressed and go to bed?"

That's what it took to make me remember and realize that Sasuke, now pretty much dry with the exception of parts of his hair, was still standing practically naked in front of me.

"I just. . .needed. . ."

Sasuke remembered and walked over to the sink to grab Naruto's tube of toothpaste. "Here it is."

I mumbled a half-hearted thanks and scurried out the door. I grabbed the doorknob behind me and shut the door with a quick slam. Even quicker, I closed - and locked - my bedroom door. I flopped onto my bed and wiggled under the covers, ready to try to sleep off this dizzy spell. What the Hell is going on? I feel like I'm in Crazy Land or something. How do I check out? I was an emotional wreck. I closed my eyes and patiently waited for sleep to overtake me. Such a sweet escape; take me away from here.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews! It's nice to know you guys are actually able to get into the story and follow along! Please continue reviewing!**

What's going on, you say? Well, Naruto is engaged to Karin. He didn't really know too much about her in high school. He preferred to never listen in on negative gossip. He and Sasuke still maintained a friendship and kept in touch almost as often as Sakura kept in touch with Naruto. Sasuke and Sakura, fated to see each other again, are forced to relive their relationship and very emotional loss because of a jealous whore known as Karin. But has she really changed for the better? Have any of them?

Oh, and the flashbacks give insight as to what went wrong in their early relationship, and how Sasuke and Sakura broke up. You should get the hint by now that neither are taking, or will take, the loss of the baby very well.

Also, I'm not too sure if I should make Itachi a bipolar crazy man or if I should mirror the Uchiha clan massacre. I know where I'm going with the main characters, but Itachi really isn't a key player. I haven't paid him any mind, which isn't fair to him. He can be quite a complex character. He could either be a malicious, crazed side story that haunts Sasuke and turns him into a depressed emo kid like in real character; or Itachi could stick with the manga/anime plot and slaughter his family for a purpose that Sasuke has yet to realize, bringing an enlightening nightmare to the surface about the true actions of the Uchiha family/business. What do you think? Option A: Crazy serial killer, or Option B: Good guy (arguably) who sacrificed his family for the common good? I'm writing the next chapter now, so let me know soon if you have an opinion!


	7. Chapter 7

**Pink With Envy Ch. 7**

**Sakura reconnects with one frenemy and comes clean with another.** A little dramatic, I know. Eh. But this is the kind of situation where a little drama is allowed.**  
**

A/N: I do not claim ownership of or infringe upon the copyrights of the Naruto series. I merely use popular characters for recreational, non-profit fan-fiction.

**This chapter is rated M for profane language, violence and non-sexual adult situations.**

* * *

_****__FLASHBACK TO MAY 2004, THE AFTERNOON BEFORE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION_

**Sakura's POV in entirety (in the entire chapter)**

_Ino and Karin caught up to me as I approached a stairwell connecting two different portions of the school building's east wing. There wasn't a security camera in this particular nook, but I wasn't thinking about that at the time. I was trying to escape or to find a teacher. Someone. Anyone. I couldn't fight in my condition, but I couldn't tell them about the baby._

_Determined to run, I grabbed the railing. But Karin was right on my back. She got a good grip on my backpack. But the strap broke on the right side, pulling me backwards. The left-side strap was still around my shoulder, but the force from Karin's grip on the backpack stripped the strap off my shoulder. Already off balance, the strap removed my hand from the railing in the process of being stripped off my body. I remember hearing Ino's voice calling my name after she gasped. Then I felt her grip my shirt sleeve. . .to pull me back. But her surprisingly good intentions came all too late. Head first, I tumbled down the flight of 12 tile steps on cold, hard concrete slabs. The first impact between the steps and my head did hurt, but the second was incredibly painful. I don't even remember feeling the others. My body laid crumpled and twisted in a mangled pile of blood and torn flesh. I don't even remember hitting the landing._

_I only remember . . .Ino. . .trying to pull me back. . ._

_**END FLASHBACK**  
_

I woke up with a start, springing up forward in one fluid motion. My breathing was rampant; I could feel my heart beating in my ears. I couldn't help myself. My stepmother was right. I needed to tell him. I wanted the peace of mind - now.

I looked over to my phone, currently lying on my nightstand. I reached over to grab it and laid back down on my sweat-soaked pillows. Ew. I'll have to get those washed tomorrow. . .later today. I glanced at my digital alarm clock on my dresser. It was almost 2:30 in the morning.

I searched my address book for the number, but I just couldn't find it. I opened Safari and searched for her in the Yellow Pages. That's when I found her. She still had a local home number.

*ring*

*ring*

*ring*

"_Hi! You've reached Ino! I'm not at home right now. Please call me on my cell or leave a message! Thanks!_"

*beep*

"Um, hi, Ino. It's me. Uh, Sakura. Please give me a call later when you get this. I'd like to talk with you. Just with you. It isn't about the. . .wedding."

I hung up the phone with that. I wasn't guaranteed that Karin wouldn't intercept the voicemail message. She was staying over there, after all.

To my surprise, I received a call right back. My ringtone was placed on vibrate, but I heard the vibration on my nightstand. It was from a local Rockport area cell phone, considering the area code and first three digits of the number. But I didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?"

"Sakura?" It was Ino. Oh, good. Wait. Karin is probably standing right next to her!

"Hi."

"Um, hi."

"Is. . .Karin. . ."

"She isn't here." Huh? Why wouldn't she be?

"Well, I thought Naruto dropped her off at your place earlier tonight. She's staying with you, isn't she?"

"Oh. . .yes. She is. She just. . .stepped out. . .to check on Naruto." Karin must've known about the bachelor party at Kiba's.

"Oh. Well, that's good news. Could we. . .meet sometime tomorrow? When it isn't the middle of the night? I'm sorry about this. You could've waited until morning to give me a call back."

"No, I'm glad you called. It's been a long time. I think that just us getting together sounds great. Just us two, right?" Hinata isn't very threatening, but I'm guessing Ino surely didn't want to be in the same room as TenTen without being guaranteed she wouldn't be mauled to death and ripped to shreds like a gazelle on the Serengeti.

"Yeah, just me and you. My treat. I have lunch plans, but could we meet later in the afternoon?" 'I think I should meet Sasuke for lunch, then spend the rest of the day with Ino.'

"Yeah, sure! I'm working at the shop tomorrow until 2:00, anyway. Anytime after that will be great."

"That's just fine with me. How about the Ice Cream Bar? We loved going there when we were kids."

"Oh. That closed down. They turned it into a sandwich shop now. They're terrible."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. But there's a frozen yogurt bar in the new shopping center downtown. It's more modern than the old one; but it's an ice cream bar, with soft-serve ice cream and yogurt. You fill your own cup with whatever flavor you want, then you add your toppings from the bar. They have coffee and baked goods, too."

"That'll work. Where is it, again?"

"It's in the second block, around the side. It's next to Ann Taylor."

"Oh, then I'll find it easily!"

She giggled. Even when we were friends, we enjoyed shopping. Of course, that definitely wasn't my style back in those days. I didn't have a style, unless looking like a homeless kid some days and a nerd another day was considered a style.

"Okay, then. We'll say 2:15, maybe around 2:30?"

"Sounds great. I'll see you then."

"Alright. Thanks, Ino."

"Thanks. I'm. . .I'm glad you called. I really am. I've changed a lot. I hope you'll notice. I'm ready to make a new life for myself, and for Evan."

"Evan?"

"I have a son." You have got to be fucking kidding me. After they took my baby from me, she turns around and. . .no, Sakura. Don't lose your cool. After all, Ino didn't do it. And she actually tried to help me. So I can't forget that.

"Wow! You're a mommy? That's great! I hope I get to meet him."

"I'm sure you will. He's my little angel, sent from Heaven."

"I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, then."

"Sure thing. Bye."

"Bye." I clicked and ended the call. That was not as satisfying as I hoped it'd be. I still needed to get things off my chest. That really wasn't even the bulk of my inner turmoil. I know who I have to face. And he's currently lying unguarded in the other room.

* * *

Before venturing out, I walked into my bathroom and splashed my face with cold water, effectively waking me up and washing away the fogginess of my terrifying dream sequence. I used a clean washcloth from the linen closet near the sink to pat my face dry. I re-fixed my ponytail, since it was barely hanging in there at this point. Then, with a clear head, I still felt like I needed to go ahead and get things off my chest. I needed to tell him. I couldn't chicken out now. What if I chicken out later, too? Then I'll never get to clear the air. I needed to do this not only for Sasuke, but for myself, as well.

Still only wearing my cherry blossom pajamas, I silently skulked around the hallway until I came very close to Naruto's bedroom door. It was closed. Was it locked? Should I knock, whether it's locked or not? Well, I'd at least see if it was locked. I took the doorknob in my hand and painstakingly turned the knob, careful not to make a racket. Everything sounded like it was several decibels higher than it should be. But I soon found out that the door was not locked. I turned it too far, and the door creaked open under the pressure from my hand. I could see that Naruto's room was very dark. Sasuke must be in bed right now. Well, why wouldn't he be in bed at 2:30 in the morning, huh? Just because I wasn't in bed. . .hm. I wonder what he wears to bed nowadays.

I curiously opened the door a bit more, cautious of the hinges creaking. Naruto's window curtains were pulled back, and Sasuke had raised the blinds. The moonlight was peeking in to shine borrowed light into the bedroom. Once my eyes adjusted, it seemed lighter than it was in the hallway with the safety nightlight.

There he was, splayed on the bed. He was fast asleep. Sasuke laid on his back. His head was slightly cocked to the right, towards the windows. He could have fallen asleep while stargazing. No, not Sasuke. He isn't that romantic or insightful. His upper torso was bare, though the blanket encircled his waist. or all I know, he could've just crawled into bed after stripping off the towel. Why was I worrying about that, though? It ain't like he has something I've never seen before. Or touched, or tasted. . .oh, damn. What the Hell was I doing in here, again?

I walked over to the bedside opposite the window. His face was directed away from me. Now that I was closer, I did seen the outline of an elastic waistband. That told me Sasuke was likely wearing shorts or boxers. Good. No surprise revisiting, then. But how to wake a sleeping Uchiha? Waking up a 1,000-lb. grizzly bear in the middle of January would probably prove easier, and would possibly be less fatal.

I perched my left knee on the edge of the mattress, looking to see if he was in a deep sleep. My eyesight zeroed in on the bone structure of his masculine, sophisticated face. He looks so aristocratic, like royalty. With Itachi dead, Sasuke is now the last remaining direct heir to the Uchiha fortune. He might as well be a prince. That's a funny thought, considering how I once considered him my knight in shining armor. His face was turned fully to the right. 'Man, he's definitely going to have a neck cramp in the morning.' I inched closer and brought my other knee onto the bed. Now my body was fully on the bed. In retrospect, this was likely not a good idea. But I needed to figure out the best way to wake Sasuke up and talk with him. Well, gently knocking on the other side of the door would've been a lovely option. But what the Hell, right?

He really looks peaceful when he sleeps. His cold, demeaning face softens. His lines on his forehead, from narrowed eyes and angry faces, are all smoothed out. He isn't able to ignore me, scoff at me, berate me or just say, "Hn."

Oh, wait. Did he just say that?

"Hn."

Oh, God! I've been caught! What do I do? Can I make it to the door? Oh, God! Oh, God! Dammit, Sakura! Jump off of your brother's bed, then sprint to the door and run for cover!

"Hn."

Wait. His eyes. . .they aren't open. His head hasn't moved. Is he. . .he's grunting in his sleep? Really? I slapped my forehead in embarrassment and sudden realization of my stupidity. I used said hand to rub my eyes a little, since I'm still a bit drowsy. I pulled my hand away and let my eyes refocus.

And there before me is a wide-awake Sasuke, sitting up in bed and staring at me with a whole lot of interest, curiosity. . .and amusement. I don't like the flicker in his eyes.

"What are you doing in my bed, Sakura? Don't tell me the storm scared you. There is no storm. Are your afraid of the bogeyman? Is that it?"

I glowered at him, though I'm not too sure if he got to see it. I noticed that his eyes haven't focused yet. He brought his large, masculine hand up to his face and rubbed the sleep away in one swift slide of his hand.

"What time is it?"

"It's still really early, before 3:00."

He looked around, but didn't find a clock. He grabbed his phone, which was also kept close by as mine was, and slid his thumb across the surface to open to the main screen. The cool illuminating glow reflected onto his face, giving him a light blue glow. Every button he pressed made the reflection in his eyes dance.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm checking my email. I have two missed messages from my office, and-" he looked up at me and stared. "Wait. What are _you_ doing? Why did you wake me up?"

I looked down at my hand as it wrapped around my ankle. I kept fidgeting.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Can it wait until morning?"

"I can't sleep."

"That's not my problem."

"I can make it your problem."

"And I can toss you out of here." 'I guess he forgot this was _my_ parents' house.' Come to think of it, why wasn't he at his parents' house instead of mine?

"Why aren't you at your own house?"

He stopped, his focus traveling elsewhere except in my direction. He didn't say another word, though he was being very cross and short with me not but a few second ago. I must have pressed a button that I shouldn't have pressed. I didn't even mean to.

"I'm sorry. Does it have to do with. . .you know. . ._him_?" 'Itachi?'

"Yes."

"Oh." I continued to play with my ankle and now my toes, trying to find a way to talk to him. Now I was distracted by my thoughts on Itachi. What happened there? Do I _want_ to know?

"Is there anything else, Sakura?" Sasuke's voice lost a bit of its edge. He was no longer sharp, though he did sound very annoyed.

"Yeah, there is. I wanted to talk to you about what happened."

"At dinner? I already apologized for your wrist." He grabbed my arm again and inspected his mark. It was indeed still quite red, but it didn't leave a bruise. He let my arm go, and I pulled it back.

"That's not what I wanted to talk about. You're wrong about how I lost the baby." Come on, Sakura! Concentrate, and do what Mom said.

"Hn." I think that was Uchiha-grunt for 'Oh, that.' But he didn't say to stop, so I'll continue.

"I was wrong."

"Sakura, I don't even think 'wrong' can cover what you did. Don't tell me you actually wanted it. You were just a silly little girl. I was your first, and you fell in love with me. Everything else was an accident. But you took care of it. Without even consulting me."

"That's not. . ." I couldn't believe it! What was I hearing? He still thinks I did it on purpose! That night. . .was just as bad as finding out I had lost the baby. . .

* * *

**_FLASHBACK TO SAKURA'S SECOND DAY AT HOME, RECOVERING_**

_I can't stand it anymore! This cast is so fucking itchy!_

_"Naruto! Help!"_

_My brother burst into my bedroom. He had been waiting on me hand and foot, constantly checking on me and following my every command. It's kind of nice, actually._

_"What is it? What is it? Pain? Dropped something?"_

_I pouted and fake-cried. "My nose itches!"_

_Naruto sighed, but smiled. He broke his arm when he was 13 years old, and he did remember having an itch he couldn't scratch. It's pure torture. And right now, I can't reach my face. One arm is in a brace and sling for a broken collar bone, and the other is in a cast due to a broken fibula._

_"Here." Naruto rubbed my nose a little too hard, just to pick on me. Then he brushed my loose pink strands away from my face to prevent further itches._

_"Thank you."_

_He sat down on my bed with me. "How much longer do you have before physical therapy?"_

_I thought for a minute. "Well, I go back for x-rays in a week or two. It shouldn't take more than a couple of months for my bones to heal. Then I can go to therapy just as soon as I can be upgraded to crutches or I'm able to put weight on my ankle. My collar bone won't be so bad, but my left arm is going to need help after it turns to jelly under this thing." I banged the cast against the hard surface of my wooden nightstand to further my point._

_"Well, I think you're just lucky that you could get that chipped tooth fixed at the dentist's office in your current state."_

_"Oh, they just did a quick repair on it. It was pretty quick."_

_"Oh. Well, your nose may be swollen and you temporarily have limited mobility. You're stubborn, though. So was. . .Sasuke."_

_"You're not mad at him, are you?"_

_"Huh? Why would I be mad at him?" Oh, my parents really didn't tell him! But they still wanted anything between us to end. Quick. I supposed they preferred for the Uchiha to be Naruto's friend instead of my boyfriend. Well, he did get me pregnant at age 15. There's that, I suppose. But my stepmother didn't share that with anyone else. I don't know why, but I think I can really trust her on this one._

_"Oh. Never mind, then. I thought you were mad at him."_

_Naruto shrugged his shoulders and let out a big sigh. "Well, I have a bit of bad news to share with you."_

_"What else could be worse than my current predicament?" I raised an eyebrow at his stupid statement._

_"My orientation starts in a couple of weeks. I'm on the team at school, and I need to be there a little earlier than usual. My dorm room is already set up for me."_

_"When are you leaving?"_

_"Not next Saturday, but the next after that."_

_"Oh. Well, I really hope you enjoy it. I can't wait until I get to go, too. Soon."_

_I was a little depressed at thinking that this was it. We were growing up and parting ways. What would happen?_

_"You'll get there soon enough, don't worry." He ruffled my hair like a little kid, but then he had to smooth it down for me because I wasn't fully ambulatory. "Listen. Mom and Dad have to accompany me to a dinner meeting tonight. I'm accepting my scholarship. I really wish you could come, but it would only cause you more pain. Are you going to be okay for just a couple of hours? Mom is going to leave right after the good parts, so it may be even less than that."_

_"Yeah, sure. I'll probably just take a nap."_

_My family left around 6:30 p.m. As predicted, my pain meds kicked in, and my groggy and exhausted self fell fast asleep. But I wasn't alseep for long. I thought maybe someone had forgotten something and came back. No._

_My door slowly swung open, and in walked Sasuke. He looked like death warmed over. He had a little bit of young stubble, his hair was not really fixed so was even more unruly than imaginable, and his clothes looked like he had slept in them. His posture was even a little off. None of these things are ever found to be attributed to an Uchiha._

_Sasuke had somehow broken into my house!_

_"What. . .how. . ."_

_"Naruto was right. Your Mom always leaves a key under one of the potted plants on the porch. How convenient of her to do so."_

_I was scared. Terrified. Utterly petrified. This wasn't Sasuke. I don't know who this was, but it couldn't possibly be my Sasuke. The lok on his face. . .the look in his eyes. . .he sent chills down my spine. He made me swallow a lump in my throat, though I was too afraid to dare speak._

_Sasuke, playing off my fear, gracefully glided over to the other side of my bed. He pulled my desk chair out from under my desk and painstakingly dragged it slowly across my floor. He stopped right next to my bedside and gracefully took a seat in it. Sasuke had a look on his face. . .not one I could uite put a finger on. He didn't seem angry. He didn't appear to be sad, either. He just wasn't generally upset. But he definitely wasn't happy. He had no smile, no smirk, no frown, nothing. He was just blank, an empty being with no soul. He couldn't take his eyes off me, though._

_I waited for several minutes, though it seemed like an hour. It was eating away at me. He was making me so freaking nervous! He was literally driving me insane. I think I even started to sweat. It was getting to the point that I wanted him to speak, to get whatever it is over and done with. It didn't matter whether he came here to say something or to hurt me - just do it! Something! Anything! Finally, after about ten minutes of just blankly staring at me, he spoke._

_"So, what have you been up to?" That's what he said, after all that time staring at me._

_"Uh. . .hospital." I barely whispered my answer, but he was close enough that he could hear whispers. I almost felt his breath on my cheek._

_"The hospital, huh? I'm guessing that's where you got those." He pointed to my cast and arm sling._

_"Um. . yeah." He wasn't making too much sense. And he didn't really seem too concerned for my well-being, which was odd. He's always worrying about me, especially since I told him I was carying his child. Boy, I don't know how I'm going to break the news to him when he's like this. Is he drunk? Or is he high?_

_"So you got injured at the hospital?"_

_What? "No. . .no, I f-fell." What did he want me to say?_

_"You fell, huh? How did you fall?"_

_"Um. . .Sasuke?"_

_"How did you fall, Sakura?"_

_"My. . .M-Mom and Dad d-don't want us t-to see each other anymore."_

_Sasuke looked at me intently. His eyes narrowed this time. He didn't like what he heard, evidently. I could see a flicker of red in his eyes., which was the only indication to me that he was very angry. No, he was furious. I had defied and angered an Uchiha. Was that it?_

_"Is that so? And what do you think, Sakura?"_

_I looked away from him. I couldn't take any more of his piercing stare._

_"I don't know."_

_"How can you not know what you want? You'd always want what's best for your baby, after all. Don't you?"_

_I froze and quickly panicked. "I. . .uh. . .uh. . .um. . ."_

_"Well?"_

_"S-Sasuke. . ."_

_"Yes? What is it?"_

_"There is no baby."_

_Sasuke's expression went blank again. Had I not known better, I would have said his pulse stopped. He could have been flatlining, for all I know._

_"I see." He sat back in my desk chair, maintaining perfect posture. After looking at my digital alarm clock multiple times, I learned Sasuke had sat in my desk chair, motionless and soundless, for twenty-three minutes. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't talk, and I couldn't move. It took me a few seconds of swallowing hard and breathing in sharp intakes to calm my nerves and speak to him._

_"Sasuke, my family is going to be back soon."_

_He silently stood up, though I wasn't sure if he heard me or not. It didn't seem like he was communicating with me at all. At that moment, I was afraid for my life. He looked insane._

_Sasuke put one knee on the bed, then the other. His hands loomed until he shimmied far enough onto my bed to place them on either side of my head. I was defenseless; I couldn't push or kick him off of me. There was no point in yelling or screaming; I'd likely just make him angrier. I couldn't cry, because I didn't think of it. My brain was not communicating with the rest of my body. I was frozen in place. He straddled my legs, as if he was keeping me in place. He was controlling me, dominating me. Then the slithering snake spoke in a hiss._

_"What is all this, Sakura?" His face was to my left, whispering in my ear. It was terrifying. I thought he had come to kill me. "Answer me. Now."_

_"Wh-wha-"_

_"Don't play stupid, little girl. I know what you did. Pregnant teenagers don't just fall down stairs and 'accidentally' lose their pregnancies. Your fall was much too violent to have been the result of tripping over your shoelaces. It that what you told your family? Huh? I'll bet you told them that, yet you weren't even wearing laced shoes. You're a liar, Sakura. You killed what was inside you. A baby. Your own baby. My baby. How can you live with yourself after that? Huh? Don't cry, you weakling. Worthless. You did this. You're not allowed to feel sorry for yourself. Why don't you feel sorry for the baby, instead?"_

_"No!" Tears poured down my face. I tried to hold in my sobs; they were just pissing Sasuke off even more. I turned my face side to side, trying to get him off of me. I didn't know what to say. I don't know why I didn't tell my family what Karin did. But I remembered Ino trying to pull me back. She didn't know I was pregnant - she just didn't want me to fall and to see me get hurt. I didn't want to hurt her, either. If I told on Karin, she'd be in just as much trouble. And everyone would know I was pregnant. I didn't want this to get out of hand. I thought I was doing the right thing. . .I didn't think Sasuke would assume the worst of me.  
_

_Sasuke pulled away from me, then, not looking me in the eye. He had said his peace, and was pretty much done with me. I didn't think we was going to kill me at this point. He did murder my self-esteem and self-worth, however. Sasuke sat back on his heels, still hovering over me._

_"I loved you, Sakura. Why did you do this? To me? To the baby? We could have talked about this. But you took it in your own hands and made a horrible decision. Now you're going to have to live with it. I will, too. I wish I didn't have to, but there's no way I can put this behind me. I'll never forget what you did. I don't know how I can stop loving you, Sakura, but this. . .is unforgivable."_

_Sasuke quietly removed himself from the bed and left my bedroom, closing the door behind him. I heard his footsteps on the stairs, then I heard him walk out the front door. That was the last time I saw Sasuke Uchiha in person._

_**END FLASHBACK**_

* * *

"Sasuke. . .I don't know how to tell you this. . .but I need to know you'll realize this is the truth. You already think the worst of me, so I have nothing to lose by telling you the truth. I only think you deserve to know what really happened that day. Will you listen to me? It's only the truth."

"Hn."

"I need more of a commitment than that, Mr. Uchiha." I minimized the sarcasm in my tone. I didn't want to infuriate him before I get to confess to him.

"Alright. Go ahead." He didn't make eye contact with me, but his head did return to my general vicinity. That was a good sign, so I went with it. I took a deep breath and began.

"It was close to your graduation date. I was about seven weeks along. I. . .was happy about it. I hadn't told anyone except for Hinata and TenTen, and they were happy, too. Everyone was going to stick by me and help. Including you." I looked at him, but he seemed unaffected. I knew better, though. I continued. "This was the same day Karin approached you outside the vending machines near the cafeteria. You said you were between classes, getting a soda or something. She grabbed you from behind. You thought it was me and pulled the two of you off to the side, a closet, maybe. But it was her, and she. . .well, she sexually assaulted you. You're a lawyer; you know what the charges are." I chuckled, and I saw he was remembering. He looked amused at the memories. I was glad he was more amused than annoyed or infuriated at the memories. He had told me what Karin did to him on the night of the dance, just before Sasuke and I first got together.

"Is this going somewhere? I don't think I want to remember Karin's hands in my pants." I thought I was going to choke or hurl, possibly both. So I continued.

"Well, Karin targeted me every chance she could get. That day was no exception, especially since you must've humiliated her somehow. She was pretty pissed off at the both of us."

Sasuke looked like he was mulling over a few memories in his mind. "Oh!" His hand came up to his face to cover his eyes. "I pushed her off of me, and she hit the floor - hard. During the middle of classes changing. Yeah, she was humiliated. You'd think being known as the biggest whore in the school would've been humiliating. I was surprised that bitch was actually capable of shame."

"Oh." I held back a snicker. I would have laughed so hard I started bawling, but it wasn't the right time. Later, though.

"Later that day. . ." I looked to make sure I had his attention, "Karin approached me in the hallway. It was the end of the day. Past, actually. I stayed behind in my class - I can't remember if my last class of the day was English or Science - but I found myself leaving the classroom to face Karin." I looked over to Sasuke. He was looking at me now, interested in what I was telling him.

"Please continue." He barely raised his voice, but it was enough for me to hear. He didn't whisper; he's too confident to whisper.

"Um. . .Karin has always used a very. . .colorful vocabulary. Especially with me. She wanted to tell me how no one, namely you, would ever think of touching me. She continued along those lines, then chased after me when I tried walking away. She. . .followed me. . .to the stairs."

Sasuke had apparently had enough of what I was sharing with him. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He rested his hands on his hips, though one hand came up to wipe his brow. He looked perplexed. He must not have had any clue that someone would have pushed me down the stairs. He was too quick to blame me for it. Sasuke began to mull things over as he paced back and forth, parallel of the other side of the bed.

"You. . .she. . .you. . .you _NEVER_ said anything! Never! All this time. . ."

I panicked. He started yelling in the middle of the night!

"Sasuke, please! Shh! My parents are sleeping downstairs. Please don't wake them up. Do they know you're here?"

"Yes. Yes, they probably do. You stepmother does, anyway." He stopped pacing. He looked exhausted. I still sat on the bed, barely out of arm's reach from him. I wanted to reach out to him, to touch him or comfort him. But I didn't think that was a great idea at the moment.

"Sakura, why didn't you say anything about this before? What did she do? Did she hit you? Did she push you? What happened?"

I exhaled. "She wasn't able to grab my arms anymore, like she had been earlier when she was jerking me around in the hallways. She grabbed my backpack when I was on the stairs, but then she let me fall. She pulled my backpack off of me. I don't even remember hitting the landing, where they found me, unconscious and bleeding. They found my backpack sitting next to me, which means Karin didn't immediately run away with my bag. . I don't know what happened after I fell." I looked up at Sasuke. He was leaning in, close to me. "I never saw Karin again after that. She. . .made me lose the baby. She didn't know I was pregnant, but she took it, nonetheless. Oh, God, Sasuke!"

I broke down. My head hit the mattress, and I cried. I remember how horrible I felt when I learned I had lost the baby. "I wanted it, Sasuke - I really did." My hands drew up close to me. Now I'm in more of a fetal position, bawling my eyes out. I don't even really know who I'm crying to, but I need to cry. "Nothing, none of my injuries, hurt more than that loss. I-I haven't even cried since. . .since you came into my room!"

I cried a little more for maybe two whole minutes, until something very surprising happened. I felt Sasuke's hand on the back of my head. He wasn't trying to crack my skull open, no. He was comforting me. He was stroking my head to console me. It was. . .a little upsetting. I don't think I can handle Sasuke Uchiha being nice to me. As terrifying as my trips down memory lane have been, this is way too psychotic for me to process. I mean, I'm not terribly angry at Sasuke. He is a total jerk, though. He thought I lost the baby on purpose, then the things he said to me. . .unforgivable, or so I thought. He was just really upset. He really wanted the baby. He wanted to marry me, he once told me. He wanted to wait until I turned eighteen, though. The baby would've been a toddler. He could have been a senior undergrad or would've already started law school. We were going to buy a house by then. All that. . .a family. We were going to be together. . .

I jerked straight up and looked at Sasuke. He was bewildered by my sudden movement.

"Are you okay? I. . I. . I had no idea." He looked away. So, I suppose an apology from an Uchiha is out of the question.

"I'm fine. I don't need you to comfort me. I'm a lot stronger than the girl you left in the other room. I had to be."

With that said, I stood up and left Naruto's bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind me.

I cried myself back to sleep, until my alarm clock woke me up for breakfast the next morning. My digital alarm clock read that it was 7:45 a.m.

I trudged in and out of my bathroom, picking up my pair of fuzzy flip-flop sandal-style house slippers along the way. The hardwood floors in the hallway and the tile of the bathroom were kind of cold. Remembering last night vividly, I crept to Naruto's bedroom door. It was closed completely. I pressed my ear to the door. I heard nothing, so I assumed Sasuke was either still asleep or out of the bedroom. I slowly and cautiously opened the door. I first looked over to the bed as I slid a little bit into the room. It was still messy, but no one was in it. I walked further into the room and saw the bathroom door was open. The light was turned out, so it wasn't likely that it was occupied. Sasuke wasn't in here. I noticed the floor looked a little less crowded, too. Some of the bags were missing.

Sasuke was gone.

I slowly walked downstairs to breakfast, my head held down. My stepmother greeted me in the kitchen with overt cheeriness.

"Good morning, sweetheart! Sleep well?"

"Mmm. No, not really. I. . had an argument last night. But I do have plans for lunch later today, so there's that."

"Oh. Well, that's good. Everything that happens just has to happen. You can't always stop it, and I can't guarantee the truth will always make everything better. But getting it off your chest should at least make you feel better. You can't let things stay bottled up inside you."

I nodded in understanding, or at least in confirmation that I was listening to her. Sometimes she gets carried away with her long-winded advice and opinions.

"Good. Now, I hope you're hungry! Chocolate chip waffles, buttered toast, scrambled eggs, hickory-smoked bacon, cranberry and orange juice, skim milk, and anything else I can whip up!"

"Oh, I missed this! Breakfast for me usually means wither standing in line for a muffin and coffee at Starbucks or grabbing the good doughnuts and bagels out of the conference room before meetings. It's always too hectic to even sit down and enjoy it."

"Now that's a crime." She set a glass in front of me and presented me with cranberry juice, knowing it's my favorite.

"Thanks."

"So, who do you have lunch plans with? Sasuke?"

I sighed. "No. Ino."

She tossed her dishrag on the counter in a momentary burst of excitement. "Ooh! Yeah! I knew you could do it! That's my girl!"

"Let me go check something real quick. She might've sent me another text message."

"You'd better not use that phone of yours to be checking you email at breakfast. You know my rules, and they still stand: no work at the table."

I sprinted up the stairs, afraid my eggs were going to get cold before I made it back downstairs. I walked into my bedroom, in search of my beloved cell phone. My phone was still on my nightstand. It had its screen illuminated, letting me know I had a missed call or a message. It was a message. A text message from Sasuke. It read:

_**Sakura, you told me Karin **_

_**cannot marry your brother. **_

_**I agree. **_

_**Meet me for lunch today, **_

_**around 11 a.m. The café downtown, **_

_**across from the old furniture store. **_

_**It's now called "Brewed Awakening." **_

_**Quite ironic, huh?**_

I texted back:

_**I'll be there.**_

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for more reviews! And many, many more are welcome! I love the feedback!

BTW, I'm still looking for opinions as to what to do with Itachi. What do you think? Sasuke killed him - we already know that. We still need the _how_ and the _why_. Was he murdered? Was Sasuke justifiably defending himself. . .or someone else? I narrowed down possibilities of scenarios leading to Itachi's demise by A) Itachi went crazy, was bipolar or was otherwise evil and committed an act that prompted Sasuke to slay him; or B) Itachi was pure of heart, just like Sakura thought. He merely sacrificed his family (save for Sasuke) for the common good because he stumbled upon. . .something. Opinions? I could really work either/or into this story, since Itachi is not a main or supporting character. And Sasuke is going to be a little messed up after taking his own brother's life, regardless. What the heck - what sounds like the best fit for Itachi's path to destruction and ultimate demise? He ain't getting a whole chapter to himself. He just gets an honorable mention, of sorts. Or maybe a dishonorable mention.**  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Pink With Envy Ch. 8  
**

**Sakura's second day back in Rockport.** What happens between old friends and old lovers? What kind of relationship can withstand such hardships, if any? Sasuke and Sakura have a lunch date to discuss the upcoming wedding plans. Do they have other plans, both for the wedding and for themselves? Plus, Ino and Sakura reconnect to mend broken fences. Can Sakura follow her stepmother's advice and move on? Or is it really moving on?

A/N: I do not claim ownership of or infringe upon the copyrights of the Naruto series. I merely use popular characters for recreational, non-profit fan-fiction.

**This chapter is rated M for profane language and adult situations. Rated M content mid-chapter - warning provided.  
**

* * *

**Sakura's POV**

My clock in my bedroom read that it was now 10:35 a.m. I was nicely dressed for a lunch and a girls' afternoon out, since I didn't exactly have time for a wardrobe change in between meetings. I chose a simple, only slightly flirty skirt ensemble fit for early springtime with nice, sunny weather. Well, why not? I chose a deep salmon pink skirt that reached mid-thigh. It was a very draping, flowing material that billowed out a little at the hem for a bit of a flared bell-shape, but only a little. It had a nice effect - just please don't be windy today! I went very simple with the tank top, since the bold color of the solid-colored skirt needed a basic color to offset it. The basic white tank top was tucked into the almost-miniskirt. To make the outfit really piece together, I added a waist-cinching belt. It was a dark tan-colored stretchy belt, mostly lycra or spandex. It had a cute silver decorative buckle, front and center. A little shiny bling never hurt anyone, right? Not to mention that waisted belts have become a wardrobe staple, at least in _my_ closet! They're figure-flattering on almost everyone. . .darn you, Brittany from accounting! You've filled my head with fashion tips!

I happen to find cute strappy gold heels that go up to my ankle. Hell yes, they're perfect. Okay, so I'm dressing up more for Sasuke than for Ino. But who cares? I'm allowed to. I want him to know what he's missing. My lips have a slightly tinted pinkish lip gloss. My eyes are heavy with eyeliner, mascara and springtime color eye shadow in shades of green that really bring out my bright green eyes. My hair is slightly curled, mostly at the ends. My pink hair falls down my back and spills over my shoulders in curly pink tendrils.

A tan purse that I bought specifically because it goes with this belt just happened to look fabulous with my ensemble, so in it my wallet and accessories go. My cell phone is with me, as always. Now it's time to mosey on over to this cute little café across from the old furniture store, so I strut down the stairs to the front door. I'm assuming Sasuke was talking about Meyer's Furniture Outlet. It has been downtown since before I can remember; it's a family-owned business. The first generation Meyers live in Sasuke's old neighborhood, where big, flashy houses stand. The Uchiha mansion outshines them all, of course. It has way more property than the other mini-mansions. The Uchiha Manor _is_ a mansion.

Ooh, I need a vehicle. My parents sold my old "teenage years" car while I was in grad school, so now I'm immobile. Yeah, like a really need a car in the city. I fly just about everywhere. If it's for business, they provide chauffeurs. I was rusty when it came to driving, but it's impossible without a set of wheels. Where's my stepmom?

"Hey, Mom?" I found her in the living room, peacefully reading something on her Amazon Kindle while the television is quietly humming in the background with some unfamiliar daytime talk show.

"Yes, sweetheart? You leaving for the afternoon?"

"Um, yeah. But I just realized. . ."

"What?"

"I don't have a car!"

My stepmother laughed. "Oh, I'm not going anywhere. You can take my SUV. If you're going shopping, you'll need the extra space!"

"Thank you! Keys?"

"They're hanging by the mudroom door, close to the kitchen. That set of hangers is kind of new. . .there. Have fun!"

I had grabbed the keys while she was directing me to the location, but I spotted them easily on the wall.

"Thanks! I will!" I shot out the front door like a bullet and hopped into her car to go meet Sasuke at the café.

* * *

**Sasuke's POV**

Wow. I can't believe I'm sitting in a café, waiting to meet Sakura. I don't think I can say how many times I've ended up standing in front of HarunoCorp Tower, Sakura's office building. I wanted so many times to just walk up to Sakura's office, bust open the door and just ravish her. I have little to no self-control around this girl. She couldn't have forgotten that little tidbit, could she?

I had not seen or spoken to Sakura since that night. . .I couldn't believe my feet took me to her house that night. I knew Naruto, my best friend, would have forgiven me for dating his sister. But getting her pregnant at age 15? I don't know about that. Naruto had called me while Sakura was experiencing her first night in the hospital. That was when everything went downhill for me. . .

_**FLASHBACK TO THE NIGHT OF SAKURA'S ACCIDENT**_

_*ring*_

_'Pick up, you Teme.'_

_*ring*_

_"Hello? Naruto?"_

_"Sasuke. We need to talk."_

_Uh, oh. "Yeah, what about? Is everything okay?"_

_"It's about Sakura."_

_'Shit. Shit, Shit. Fuck. Shit. Goddamn it.' "Uh, sure. Look, I've been meaning to tell you about us, I swear. She and I-"_

_"She's been in. . .what did you say?"_

_I paused and hesitated._

_"Sasuke, what did you say? How do you know Sakura?"_

_"Is something wrong with her?"_

_"Sasuke. . .have you been seeing my sister? Behind my back? Is that it?"_

_"Uh. . .well, yes. But I was going to tell you!"_

_"Dude. . .why would you keep that a secret?"_

_"I was. . .worried. Is everything alright?"_

_"No. . .no. That isn't okay. You have to break it off with her. It's not right."_

_"Naruto, just think about that. Your sister isn't a baby, she's-"_

_Naruto sighed. He sounded exhausted. It worried me immensely. _

_"Oh, shit, Sasuke. Sakura's been in an accident."_

_"What? Is she okay? What was it? A car accident?"_

_"No. We're in the hospital. She's banged up pretty bad. My parents are really worried. She hasn't woken up yet. The doctor said it could take a while."_

_"Oh, my God. I'm coming over. What room is she in?"_

_"No, you don't need to come over here; not right now. We need to talk about this. My little sister, man!"_

_"Naruto, we do need to talk about this. But I need to see Sakura. You don't understand. She's. . .we're. . ."_

_"Hold that thought. The doctor's coming back over here to talk to us."_

_"Naruto! You Dobe! Just tell me what happened!"_

_He sighed again, this time in agitation. _He_ was irritated at _me_. Wow, how the tables have turned._

_"She was found at the bottom of a flight of stairs. They don't know what happened. No one else was around, and no one else reported anything. It was almost an hour after school let out. It's weird. Definitely weird. Look, man. I don't think she wants to see you right now, though. I'll call you later."_

_Naruto hung up on me. I lost my girlfriend and my best friend. And I think Sakura lost the baby. . .on purpose. No, she wouldn't. . .would she? What in the the Hell is going on?  
_

_I spent that whole night lying in my bed, my legs curled up towards me in a fetal position. Though one particular leg was already aching, with pins in it. I felt like my life was going great, but God kept dealing horrible blows to me. First, my leg and my football career. Second, I'm beginning to suspect my brother is dealing in some shady business. And now, I think he dealt me the death blow by taking my best friend and the love of my life in one fell swoop. And. . .I doubt that Sakura and Naruto will ever let me see my baby. She'll probably give it up for adoption or let a relative raise it. What is this? These things don't just happen to one person within a matter of months. It can't just be a coincidence. Is he telling me something? That I'm not supposed to be happy?_

_The next morning, I decided to find out exactly what was going on. I knew Naruto would talk with me. We have too close a bond. I know he loves his stepsister, blood bond or no. They were raised together since they were little, and didn't see any difference between step-siblings and real siblings. I showered and got ready, like it was any other day. I dressed myself in a nice blue polo shirt and dark jeans. I barely fixed my hair properly before I ran down the stairs, making a beeline to the front door to dodge my parents, who I'd imagine would already be sitting at the breakfast nook in the kitchen. I thought I heard my mother call my name, but I didn't have time. It was my graduation day, after all._

_I hopped into my relatively early graduation gift, a midnight blue Mustang with black stripes. It's a Mustang Cobra, so I found the perfect cobra decal to add to the back window. The snake's face is striking. Literally._

_I hauled ass to the hospital. It was only around 8:00 a.m. I wasn't sure whether I'd be allowed in her room, because I wasn't very familiar with visiting hours. I probably should have called Naruto beforehand._

_I made my way up to the front desk. Luckily, a young female college intern was at the desk. She certainly was cute, with blonde hair tucked into barrettes. Her nurse's uniform was about a size or two too small, and her moderate cleavage jutted out enticingly. My guess was that she was at the front reception desk because she'd give some of the elderly male patients heart attacks. I wasn't interested, but I sure as Hell pretended to be. She easily let me know what room my "cousin" was staying in._

_"Fourth floor, recovery. She just came out of surgery yesterday to reset something. She's pretty banged up. Pretty little thing, just a teenager. What about you, cutie?"_

_"Uh. . .I'm a little young, too. I've gotta go." I left her hanging and sprinted to the elevator around the corner. It wasn't fast enough, stuck on the eighth floor. I consulted the other elevator, but it was just on the fifth floor. Disgruntled and impatient, I skipped the elevator altogether and found the stairs next to me. I flung open the door and sprinted up the stairs - all four floors._

_The fourth floor staircase door seemed a bit surreal to me. After running up all four flights of stairs like a madman - and I do believe I was - I just stood there, my hand on the brass panel to push the door open. But I hesitated. What was I going to do? What could I say. 'Hey, I'm sorry she isn't conscious. How's the baby? What baby, you say? Well, I'm now eighteen years old, and I knocked up your fifteen-year-old daughter. That baby.' Man, this wasn't going to go good, either way._

_I sucked it up and mustered what courage I could. I'm an Uchiha, so this should've been easier than it felt. I opened the door and found myself in a long, wide hallway. There was a reception window across from me, though no one was standing at the window to greet me or to ask what I was doing. To my left was a long corridor. To my right was a long corridor. Oh, Goddamn it._

_I walked up to the window. There wasn't a service bell or anything, but there was a glass panel on either side of the little white countertop. So I knocked on it, impatiently. It took only a few seconds for an older woman with slightly-grayed brown hair to appear in front of me._

_"Can I help you, young man?"_

_"Yes, hello. I was told Sakura Haruno was on this floor. But I didn't catch the room number."_

_"Oh, young Miss Haruno? I'm sorry. Are you a relative?"_

_"Yes. She's my cousin."_

_"I'm sorry, but it's only immediate family up here."_

_'Oh, come on!' "Well, can I visit her for just a few minutes? I'm graduating from high school today, and this is my only window of opportunity today. I'm really worried about her. This is the first place I came to when I woke up this morning. I just want to check in on her."_

_"Aw, isn't that sweet? Congratulations on your graduation, young man, but regular visiting hours aren't for another hour and a half."_

_'You've got to be kidding me! She's blowing me off for being 90 minutes early? '"Ma'am, can visiting hours just start a little early today? Please? I know Sakura wants to see me."_

_"Sir, Sakura is still asleep. She has yet to regain consciousness. She isn't really seeing or hearing anyone right now."_

_"It's alright, Charlotte. It's fine." Whose voice was that? It sounded eerily familiar._

_I turned around and saw Naruto's mother right in front of me. Wow. She was beautiful. I knew it was her, just because of her distinct appearance. My mother had told me about her. She also told me about Naruto's biological father. They held Naruto's father in such reverence. They didn't tell me they even knew who Naruto was, much less that they knew of his parents, until after we moved to Rockport and I had already befriended the hyper, athletic blond._

_I was floored. It wasn't just because of Mrs. Haruno's (formerly Miss Uzumaki) immense beauty, which was strikingly apparent. What struck me as odd was her hair hue. Naruto had explained before that it was a completely natural shade of red. It was a blood red, a beautiful bright crimson. It was like molten lava. I couldn't believe it. But no girly salon dye job could ever yield that color; I seriously doubted that. If I didn't already know, I'd think that Naruto's blond hair was an attest to his father's hair, but Sakura's pink hair was a mix between the two. With that being said, where in the Hell did Sakura get pink hair? I thought she dyed it at first, but she never fixed it or anything. Why would she dye her hair, then never style it?_

_I must've looked stunned, along with my mind drifting away. She gave me a puzzling look as she walked up to me._

_"Are you okay, Sasuke?"_

_"Uh. . .um. . .um. . .yeah. I mean. . .yes, ma'am."_

_She sighed. "I know about you and Sakura. I found her cell phone in her backpack. There are a lot of very interesting text messages and voicemail messages. And I have to tell you that I don't necessarily approve. She's just fifteen, not quite sixteen years old. And she's the mayor's daughter. Her safety is a factor. You are now eighteen, right?"_

_"Y-yes, ma'am. I turned eighteen last month."_

_"Ah. And you're graduating today, just like Naruto. Right?"_

_"Yes, ma'am."_

_"You're leaving for college soon, right?"_

_"Yes, ma'am."_

_She sighed. "You have your whole adult life ahead of you. But Sakura isn't even quite there yet. She's only a sophomore in high school. She isn't even old enough to get her driver's license yet, and you're leaving for college. It's illegal for you two to have any sort of sexual contact. If you were both just a few years older, a couple of years' age difference wouldn't matter. But it does matter right now. A lot."_

_"Mrs. Haruno? There's something else. Something I think you should know. I didn't want to be the one to tell, you, but considering the circumstances. . .Sakura told me not too long ago. . .she. . she told me she. . ."_

_Mrs. Haruno leaned in close to me so she could whisper. "Did she tell you she was pregnant?"_

_Once again, I was stunned. "Y-y-yes, ma'am." _

_"Oh. So she was aware of it."  
_

_"I want you to know that's one of the reasons why I'm here. I want-"_

_"Sasuke, sweetheart. You should sit down." 'Oh, shit. This isn't going to be good.'_

_We walked over to the empty sitting area just past the counter with the older nurse. We took a couple of seats near the center so we could have a little bit of privacy as we had our talk._

_"Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha. You're Mikoto's youngest son, aren't you?"_

_"Yes, ma'am. She told me you both were sorority sisters in college."_

_"Yes, we were. We were good friends, in fact. We've lost touch over the years, but I'm hoping we can remain friends on a personal level. I think I should give her a call."_

_"Please, no! I'm. . .I-"_

_"Shh! Don't worry. That's not what I meant." She chuckled a little and patted my hands, which were folded in my lap and wringing in agitation. __"I'm not threatening you, sweetie." _  


_"Oh. I'm sorry." I held my head down in shame and embarrassment. Her hand cupped my chin and brought my eyes back up to meet hers._

_"No, Sasuke. I'm sorry. I hate that you have to find out like this. Sweetie, Sakura didn't keep the baby."_

_At that second, my world crashed down all around me. My inner sky went black, causing me to lose vision of everything I thought I had lying in front of me. I blinked, and it was gone.  
_

_**END FLASHBACK**_

* * *

Still, to this day, I couldn't believe that Naruto almost immediately forgave me. But since it was apparent that his mother never breathed a word about Sakura's pregnancy, even to Naruto, everything just seemed like a little bump in the road. Naruto and I remained close through our college years. When I entered law school a few years later, he still lacked one yer until graduation. Hell, we even visited each others' campuses to attend parties. Naruto was in some fraternity, though I didn't get hooked into that social bullshit. But they did have some wild parties. I just went to my father's alma mater, later attending Harvard Law School I'm an Uchiha. Did anyone forget that? The Admissions clerks didn't. But what's wrong with a little nepotism? I'm living for me. In the now.

I remember the night I snuck into Sakura's bedroom while Naruto accepted his scholarship at a nice ceremony. I was a little jealous that get received an athletic scholarship about a month after my scholarship offers were all withdrawn, but Naruto and I had reconnected and he had forgiven me for going behind his back. But I needed to let Sakura know one thing. I didn't think I could move on without closure. More than half a bottle of Jim Beam helped me work up the liquid courage that I could not muster myself. I don't even remember how I was able to drive over there without wrecking and killing myself. All I could think about before and after that visit was the night before her accident. . .our last night together. . .

* * *

_**FLASHBACK - WARNING: MATURE CONTENT**_

_I peeled down my staircase at the sound of the doorbell. My parents were out of town for the month. Lo and behold, they were likely going to miss my high school graduation! They promised they would be back the night before my graduation, but I wasn't banking on it. Itachi was in New York City on business. He was working with my uncle at Uchiha Towers, with the family company. I don't trust any of those leeches. Itachi said he wouldn't be back until sometime next week, though. Itachi was the one person who I could depend on to be there for me. If it weren't for Sakura, I would be crying my eyes out - on the inside, of course._

_Speaking of my rosette beauty, I flung the door open and was greeted with sparkling beauty. Sakura was dressed for our date. Good God. Sakura was wearing a deep fuchsia cocktail dress with a feminine bow in the middle. Her sparkly shoes had heels that I couldn't believe she could even stand up in, much less walk in._

_"Hinata just dropped me off! Did you see her new car? A white convertible! Cute, huh?"_

_"You sure are."_

_"Huh?"_

_I cleared my throat. "Uh. . .I said. . .it sure is. Here, come on in."_

_"Oh, Sasuke! You're not even ready yet! It's a good thing a brought my makeup bag Ayame gave me. I can still work on this a little. I'm still learning those techniques she taught me. I almost have smoky eyes down pat. But the-"_

_She didn't get to finish. I didn't waste a second before I crashed my lips onto hers._

_"M-mh. . .mmf. . .shashke. . ."_

_"Hn?" I pulled back, amused at her speech impediment as my lips were busy on hers._

_"The dinner reservations?"_

_"Hn. Not until 7:00."_

_She scoffed, a little irritated, but still amused._

_"But it's 5:00 now! Why did you want me to come over now?"_

_"Hn." I smirked evilly, letting both my hands travel to her rear end. They cupped her and used the leverage to pick her up, slamming her body against mine and allowing me to easily lead her into the living room. "We have the whole house to ourselves." I plopped down onto the couch, with Sakura balanced on my lap._

_"Sasuke! You're going to mess up my makeup!"_

_"You have more. Besides, it's just the lipstick. Hell, now I think I'm wearing some." I rubbed my mouth with one of my hands. Sure enough, rosy pink lipstick in a shade somewhere between the hues of her hair and her dress had come off. Dammit._

_"What about my hair?"_

_"Can't you brush it?"_

_"Ugh. You're impossible, Sasuke Uchiha. Especially when you're in the mood."_

_"I know. But you love me."_

_"Yeah, I guess I do." She smiled._

_"Have you thought about staying or going with me?"_

_"Oh. . .um. . .well. . Sasuke, you know I want to stay. I wouldn't be able to go to school in the fall, because then I would be in my third trimester and I'd be as big as a whale. Too gross. I would be able to attend some classes by correspondence, so that wouldn't be a total loss. I was ahead in just about everything, anyway."_

_"It isn't a loss. Not by a long shot. Summer classes?"_

_"Yeah, I checked into it. I would take Anatomy this summer and be able to take Chemistry next year, which would meet criteria for science credits in order to graduate. I can take AP Calculus next year, in the spring. So I could-"_

_"Okay, Rockport sounds like a good place for the baby to be born. I'll be here when it's time, and I'll be here almost every weekend."_

_"Hm. Sounds good, handsome guy."_

_My evil smirk returned. "How about you get started on Anatomy a little early? I can be your tutor." I claimed her lips again, while one of my hands traveled to her back and slowly unzipped her dress._

_"Sasuke!"_

_"Too late." I kept my lips on her, trying my best to keep her busy and to distract her from her protests. But she soon gave in. I had her dress fully unzipped. I let the front drop a bit, revealing a strapless bra. I was disappointed, hoping she wasn't going to be wearing one with a strapless dress. They're so bothersome, the devil's tricky instruments!_

_Sakura took the hint and arched straight up on her knees, so now she was straddling my lap. She carefully backed off of the couch until she stood in front of me, between the couch and the coffee table._

_"Give me a little show, Sakura."_

_She giggled. "Only a little one, since I don't know how to do that."_

_"What? It's a show, not a math problem. Quit calculating, you sexy nerd. Just take it off slowly. Flaunt it."_

_"But you already know what 'it' is!"_

_"Oh, come, on!"_

_She huffed sarcastically. "Oh alright."_

_She obliged. Sakura's shoulders shrugged, letting the dress inch down a little lower. Then she let the entire front hang down, showing off everything from her hips and up. Her strapless bra was black lace with hot pink ribbon trim. Her belly was still flat; she wasn't even showing yet. She was only seven weeks along, so I guessed she wouldn't start getting bigger until the baby started growing to a significant size._

_Sakura swayed her hips a little, letting the fabric of the dress caress her legs. I saw black lace and a little bit of hot pink ribbon, just like on her bra. It was the waistband of her underwear. It matched her bra. I salivated. Sakura used her hands to slowly strip her dress the rest of the way off, stepping out of it carefully, picking it up off the floor and. . .and walking away?_

_"Uh, Sakura? Where are you going?" I looked down at my lap. I was still wearing a t-shirt and kind of baggy jeans. But now I was sporting quite a tent in my pants. "Hello?"_

_"Sasuke, please. I don't want my dress to get wrinkled. If you only knew what it took to get this thing steamed nicely."_

_Sakura had walked into the dining room and folded her dress over the back of a chair at the table. Really? Hell, I didn't even care if we ever made those dinner reservations. At this point, I was only hungry for one thing: Sakura._

_"Sakura, baby. Come back over here, please."_

_"Oh, I'm coming. Don't beg like a dog. Soon you'll start drooling like one."_

_"I think I am! You stripped in front of me. . .well, you aren't really finished, are you?"_

_"Huh?" Sakura appeared in front of me again, back where she started._

_I pointed to her chest._

_"My bra?"_

_I nodded and pointed to her panties. Oh, wait. It was a thong. A thong! Turn around, please!_

_"And my undies?"_

_I nodded again._

_"Well, I don't know if that's very fair. After all, you're still fully dressed, and I'm standing here feeling a little chilly."_

_"Sakura, it's over 70 degrees in the house."_

_"Sasuke, you're missing the point."_

_"My clothes?"_

_She nodded this time._

_"Hn. Why don't you do something about it?"_

_"Well, maybe I will. Or maybe I won't."_

_Sakura climbed back in my lap, straddling my legs again. Her center came very close to my crotch. I sucked in a big gulp of air._

_"Sakura. . .don't tease. It isn't nice."_

_"No, it sure isn't, is it?" She chuckled. It was a little creepy, but highly seductive._

_Sakura brought her lips down to my ear and began sucking on my earlobe. Once again, I sucked in a vast amount of air. I don't even think I had exhaled from the last big gulp of air._

_I was getting impatience now. My cock was straining in my pants, obviously being suffocated. That couldn't be healthy. She was already killing me!_

_Sakura's lips trailed over my neck, sucking a little on my jugular to make me squirm. She likes doing that. One of her hands rested on my shoulder to maintain her balance, while the other traveled to the hem of my shirt. Her fingers deftly dove underneath, feeling the muscles of my lower abdomen. Sakura loved feeling my muscles squirm and flex underneath her fingers._

_"Mm. . .so smooth." Sakura breathed against my neck. She traveled up my chin and, this time, she took my lips in a passionate kiss. I did take control pretty quickly. She could at least give me that._

_Sakura's fingers still traveled underneath my shirt, rolling up to my chest and lingering there. She loved feeling my muscles. It must be a turn-on for her. It was a masculine build, though not many guys my age outside of athletics sported such bodies without strenuous exercise._

_Sakura must have gotten impatient, too, because once she was done torturing me under my shirt, her hand gripped the hem of my t-shirt and pulled it up. My hands, which were trying to grip something on the couch cushions, assisted in this process. Hey, anything my woman wanted, she received._

_"Off with the shirt, Sasuke."_

_"Yes, ma'am." We parted so I could lift the shirt over my head. Sakura leaned back, breathing heavily. Her one hand had to temporarily relocate to the center of my chest for balance while my shirt was pulled off. The other was busy brushing her pink tresses out of the way as she tilted her head back. My cock twitched. I think she felt it._

_"Hm? Are we getting excited, Sasuke?"_

_"Yes, ma'am."_

_She took me by surprise. Sakura's hips scooted closer to me, as close as I thought they could get to me, as her center ground down onto my crotch. I moaned loudly, goign insane at the pressure and exertion. Both my hands flew to her hips, assisting in her movements and reveling in the motions she was performing in my lap._

_"Tell me what you want, Sasuke."_

_"You. Just you."_

_"What do you want me to do?"_

_"Remove. . this."_

_Sakura continued to roll her hips, as I reached around her back to unhook her lacy strapless bra. Her breast popped out. Did they look a little fuller? I didn't care to omuch, as my mouth descended on one and my hand enveloped the other. Sakura leaned he head back as her back arched off the couch._

_"Sasuke!"_

_I sucked and teased until I decided I had paid enough attention to one, then I moved to the next. Both of Sakura's hands were scratching up and down my back, but I didn't care, as long as her hips kept moving. I soon released her and leaned back. I pulled her with me. She was very distracted, so it was easy for me to switch positions. Sakura found herself on the couch, on her back, looking straight up at my face._

_"Hello, beautiful."_

_She smiled a beautiful smile._

_"Hello, handsome." Her hand came up to cup the side of my face, her fingers slightly ghosting on my cheek._

_I couldn't help but lean in and give her a slow, passionate, loving kiss. Our tongues came into play only a little. I didn't think she really liked having my tongue in her mouth. . .well, would she mind too much if it was somewhere else? Ooh, what a nice idea._

_Our lips separated, with a bit of reluctance from both of us. I started backing away, much to Sakura's confusion._

_"What. . .where. . .huh?" Her brain was already foggy. Good._

_"Just lay back and relax. This will feel good."_

_Her legs were already spread a little to accommodate me instinctively. But now that I was backing up, her legs began to close. I held her knees to keep them separated._

_"Sasuke?"_

_"Don't close them." Great, now she was going to tell me not to. I had to hurry before Sakura became reluctant and shut me down._

_"Huh?" Okay she might already be a little too far gone. I'll just work quickly. I leaned forward, now already down at my goal. She was still wearing that lacy thong. As my right hand held her left leg up against the back of the couch, my fingers on my left hand drifted down over her upper thigh and up to her wait to pull the string of her thong down. When she was revealed, Sakura moaned. She must have felt the open air. I leaned back a little to be able to effectively pull the thong off fully. I tossed it just in front of the couch, close to her bra. Now Sakura was fully exposed, and I was just missing my shirt. That wouldn't do in a moment, but it would have to for now. I was running out of time. So I leaned back in, between her thighs. I brought my finger up to rub her a little. She was wet. She moaned loudly. Oh, man. I brought my face in close, just in front of her center. My tongue darted out. As my fingers spread her lower lips, the tip of my tongue barely ghosted over her flesh. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down. Sakura writhed, obviously in bliss. But she was still somewhat frustrated. So I leaned in even closer and thrust my tongue inside her. In and out. In and out. In and out. I pulled back and looked up at Sakura's face to gauge her reaction. I she as Hell didn't hear her tell me to stop. She just trusted me. And by the look on her face, she must have made the right choice. Her hair was draped over the arm of the couch. Her face was directed almost to the ceiling, but it was angled down enough for me to see that her eyes were closed and her lips were parted as she breathed heavily._

_Perfect. Absolutely beautiful._

_I inserted two fingers inside her and watched as her back arched almost impossibly, a delicious, long moan echoing in the living room. Nice acoustics. I didn't know why I hadn't thought of this before. I pumped in and out for a couple of minutes, watching Sakura enjoy herself and become extremely wet._

_I thought my face back down to Sakura's hot, wet core. Getting a little impatient, my nose came down to rub a little bit against the tiny nub above her center. Sakura let out a scream and began to buck against me. Wonderful. As I continued pumping, I daringly added a third finger. Sakura's muscles tightened, and she began bucking at a shallow, offbeat pace. But then my tongue came back out to play I licked around my fingers, capturing some of her flowing juices that were just for me. Then I brought my tongue up to her nub and licked like it was a sweet piece of candy. I don't necessarily like sweets' but I loved Sakura's taste. I was obsessed with it. I licked, nibbled and sucked. Sakura was getting loud and rambunctious. She was close. I felt her clamp down on my fingers._

_''It's about time, Sakura. Come now. Come for me."_

_The heat from my breath sent shivers down Sakura's spine. I felt that shiver. I sped things up by hooking my fingers inside her, scraping her inner walls as my entire mouth descended on her clit and sucked hard. Sakura's back arched entirely off the couch, and she screamed an incredible moan as she came. My tongue darted out as I continued sucking so I could prolong her orgasm as I drank. Sakura felt the after-effects for quite a few minutes. When I pulled back and pulled my fingers out, her body was still convulsing a bit._

_"Not bad, huh?"_

_All Sakura could do was moan a little._

_"It's only 5:20. We still have plenty of time. . ."_

_Sakura moaned a little more, with a throaty groan. I climbed on top of her, my hands busy removing my pants, along with my boxers. My erection sprang forth. Man, did the open air feel good. Sakura felt me on her thigh. Her eyes popped open._

_"Sasuke. . ."_

_"Hn?" I sucked on her neck a little, my hands rubbing circles on her hips._

_"Mm. . ." How cute. She couldn't form sentences yet._

_"Sakura, are you ready?"_

_"Hm. Hold on." Sakura moved to sit up. Really?_

_"Huh?" I grasped her upper arms and helped prop her up. But she surprised me. She always liked to surprise me. Sakura pushed me back up against the back of the couch by my shoulders and once again straddled my hips. My erection pressed against her stomach. Sakura leaned in close to my left ear I could feel her hot breath against my ear and cheek._

_"Sasuke, are you ready?" With that oh-so-sexy comment mirroring mine, Sakura grasped my cock by its base and lined it up with her center. She rubbed her still-wet core against me to tease me a little._

_"No teasing, Sak-" Before I could finish chiding her for teasing, Sakura slammed down on my cock. I didn't think I had ever felt so many chills with so much pleasure before in my life. My eyes rolled into the back of my skull. Sakura held herself down for about a minute. I felt her inner muscles flex as she adjusted to my. . ahem. . .large size._

_"Sakura. . .please. . ."_

_"Please what. . .Sasuke?" She breathed heavily, but cold still tease._

_"Move." My hands held her by her hips onto my lap. I rubbed her hips to try to coax her to begin moving. She brought her hips up a little, making sure she was ready. Then she pulled almost all the way of of me and swiftly came back down, grinding a little. I moaned and groaned like a crazy man. God, I love this woman! Sakura started at a good pace, moving up and down in my lap. I leaned back, letting my head roll a little to the right. The amount of pleasure was incredible. My eyes were barely open, but I kept them open and trained on the beautiful goddess in front of me. Her breast bobbed up and down with her movements. Her lips were parted slightly to capture air. Her eyes were sometimes squinted, sometimes closed shut in pleasure. She was a magnificent sight._

_Sakura remained at a medium pace for a while, until I felt her muscles tighten around me. She was getting impatient, just like me._

_"Come on. . .Sakura. A little. . .faster."_

_"Say please. . ." Sakura huffed out a teasing response. What a little tease! I wonder what was going on with her hormones tonight? I read that pregnant women could experience uncontrollable hormone levels, and though their moods could sometimes go haywire, their libidos could also go haywire. Oh, I was loving this. Sakura was getting much braver in the sack, and a little wilder. I could handle a little rough and tumble._

_"Please. . .baby. . .you feel. . .so damn good. . ."_

_Sakura came down hard, grinding on my groin._

_"Ahh! You crazy bitch!"_

_Sakura giggled. Damn, she was definitely enjoying this way too much. Well, I guess enjoyment was the entire point of this. That, and I loved her. So damn much._

_Sakura's pace quickened. I knew she wanted to climax just as much as I did. So I helped her pick up the pace, dragging her by the hips. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down. =Back and forth, Back and forth, Back and forth._

_"Goddamn it, Sakura! Harder!"_

_Sakura began slamming herself down on my cock, stripping me of my usual genetic patience, composure and dignity. Damn it all, this girl was going to be the death of me._

_Sakura began huffing and puffing, obviously close and running out of steam. So my bruised and sore hips began bucking. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down. God, she felt so fucking amazing._

_"Uh. . .oh. . .oh, Sasuke!" Sakura threw her head backwards, her back arching like a beautiful mythical creature. She couldn't be real. I blinked a few times, just to make sure. Then, as her convulsing lower self descended on me once more, I lost it and spilled over the edge. I pulled Sakura down on me and ground her hips onto mine forcefully, with my own two hands. Her hips were likely to be bruised now, but I could always apologize for it later. She did bruise my mouth, throat and hips, after all. I shot deep into her in several long, hot spurts and I bucked wildly and ground into her. Why not? She was already knocked up. It wasn't like we really had to pretend to be careful anymore. We already messed up in that department with our carelessness and spontaneity. Sakura fell forward, onto me. We both took several minutes just to catch my breath._

_"Whoa." Sakura breathed up onto the bottom of my chin, as she lay on my upper chest. My fingers raked her pink hair out of her heated face. She was beautiful in the afterglow. She always was.  
_

_"Yeah."_

_"Do we have enough time?"_

_I looked over at the time display on the digital box underneath the big flat-screen television. It read that it was 6:19 p.m. I couldn't believe it. I usually last longer, but Sakura was holding the reigns this time and milked me for all I was worth._

_"Barely. I can start a quick bath for you, while I take a quick shower."_

_"Mm, sounds good. But we gotta act fast if we want to make those dinner reservations."_

_I captured her lips once more in a long, deep, mind-blowing kiss._

_We enjoyed our dinner, and I dropped her off at Hinata's house afterwards. It was too risky for her to sleep over, no matter how hard I begged and pleaded._

_"I'll see you at school tomorrow."_

_"No, you won't. Seniors aren't going tomorrow. We simply collect our cap and gown orders irst thing in the morning and are dismissed."_

_"Oh, you lucky bastard." Sakura stepped in and tilted her head a little to the left. I leaned down just a hair and met her halfway, giving her one last goodbye kiss. Even after applying lipstick before we left and after dinner, she now had no more lipstick left on her lips. Some of it was on m shirt collar from fooling around in the car before getting out to walk her to the door of the Hyyuga mansion._

_That tender, passionate kiss was the last time I left Sakura's lips on mine._

**_END FLASHBACK_**

* * *

Now, here I am, waiting for that seductive, crazy bitch. But she's my seductive, crazy bitch. An since I bolted in the early morning hours, all I could think about was that I wanted - no, needed to win her back. I was an idiot for believing I could get over her. No way. I was so stupid. A young, stupid bastard. But though I was too young and didn't know it, the love I felt was real. I just didn't know how to deal with it. Now I do. Sakura and I are meant for each other. I just have to make her see that.

The door to the café swung open. The bells on the door alerted the staff to incoming customers, and it brought my attention to the most beautiful girl in the world. Sakura is wearing a killer outfit. There was some frilly orangey-pink skirt, a belt and a white tank top. Holy mother of God, she looked hot! Now I was a little pissed. Some dopey, mid-30's, not-so-attractive guys in business suits, obviously on their lunch break, decided to get eyefuls of my woman. Damn them. I wanted to jump out of my seat, fly over the table and pounce on those two cheesy-looking bastards. At the temperature my blood was boiling, I could easily kill them both. I wanted to bash their fucking brains in, rip their goddamn throats out and-

"Hello, Sasuke. Can I?" She must have noticed that I was looking elsewhere. She put her hand on the back of the bistro chair. Embarrassed, I stood up.

"Yeah. Sorry. Go ahead."

Sakura took her seat, so I sat back down.

"How did you get my cell phone number?"

"Heh. I kind of stole it from Naruto's phone. He was in the bathroom, before taking Karin over to Ino's last night. I just. . .sort of scroled down until I found some interesting names. I just thought that it would be a good way to reconnect with old friends. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"You' better hope he doesn't mind. It'll be Hell to pay, otherwise. He's the worst kind of stupid - 'dangerous stupid.'"

On that note, our waitress came back over. She was a teenager around age 16 years of age, wearing light denim jeans, a black t-shirt that read in a fancy white screenprint font, "Brewed Awakening," and a white hat with the same logo embroidered in a black font. I was even more happy that Sakura was here, now, since this girl and a couple others have been staring at me from behind the front counter for about fifteen minutes. It happens a lot, but it was driving me crazy.

"Hello there!" She laid a menu in front of Sakura. "What can I get for you to drink?"

"Peach sweet tea, please."

"And you, sir? Would you like a refill of water? Or maybe a different drink, like your girlfriend?" She started giving Sakura the stink eye. Oh, Lord.

"I'm not his girlfriend," Sakura quipped. That statement made the waitress absolutely delighted, along with every single one of the other girls who heard. If she had squealed in delight, I probably would have picked up my tall glass and thrown cold water all over her annoying face. Sakura's squeals are the only annoying noises I think I can put up with, and that's only because I'm still in love with her. Oh, boy. This is _not_ going to be easy.

The waitress hovered a little bit, making sure the table was tidy and that we were stocked adequately with napkins, bottles of condiments and artificial sweeteners. Then she walked away, giving me a wink. Ooh, jail bait. If only I wasn't sitting across from Sakura. Sorry, pretty young girl, but you simply pale in comparison to my cherry blossom.

"So, did you have a plan in mind?"

"Huh?"

"About the upcoming wedding. A plan? To derail it?"

"Oh, that. You just cut to the chase, don't you? I wish my clients were like this."

"You're a _corporate_ lawyer, Sasuke. When you do deal with your own clients, it's just family and your family's minions."

"Ooh, spoken like a true Haruno. A tongue like a dagger."

Sakura leaned in towards the table, whispering.

"I don't recall you ever complaining about my tongue before, Sasuke."

Oh, that bitch.

"Ahem, likewise." 'Two can play that game, Sakura.'

Sakura sat back, her lips pressed tightly together. She must have been a little peeved at me for being a smart-ass. Sorry, sweetheart. But if you mess with the bull, you get the horns.

"Let's not get off-track, Sasuke. Let's talk about Karin."

Damn, just hearing that name makes my blood boil all over again. I want to pick up a chair and throw it through that plate-glass window in the storefront.

"Uh, well. . .the main problem is Naruto. Just how in the Hell could something like this have happened?"

"I don't know. He's your best friend. Didn't you ever talk to him about her?"

"No. I just thought he new. It was my understanding that everyone knew."

"They did. But Naruto never listened to any gossip. He only looked for the good in people. He's so naive."

"Yeah. I'm sure he preferred to think of Karin's sluttiness as finely-tuned people skills."

Sakura choked a little on her tea as she giggled.

"Well, I think subtlety speaks volumes for this type of situation. What do you suggest, Mr. Uchiha?"

"Actually,I was thinking the same thing. Do you remember that night at Kiba's party? After the dance?"

"You mean the night you seduced me when I was drunk and we had sex in Kiba's father's bedroom?"

"Heh. Oh, yeah. Wait. No! _You_ seduced _me_!" I shouldn't have yelled that. Now the girls behind the counter were burning holes in Sakura's head. And those dopey losers in cheesy business suits were ready to bow to me. "Well, It was the only bedroom that was open, and you needed to lie down. I thought you were going to throw up, and I just wanted to keep you safe."

"Yeah, what a gentleman. Sleep with a drunk girl to help her overcome her nausea and inebriation. I guess you went to law school because you flunked your MCATs."

'Bitch. I never tried to get into medical school.' "Yes, well. . .moving on. The other bedroom upstairs happened to be a guest bedroom. Guess who was in it?"

"Karin?"

"Bingo."

"And. . ."

"And Kakashi Hatake, the perverted Creative Writing teacher."

"Oh, sleeping with her teacher! Damn, she _is_ a slut!"

"You're telling me. The way I understood it, she got a C in the creative composition and an A+ in creative fucking, which brought her final grade up to a B+."

"Nice."

"Yeah."

"So, what can that do to help us break up the wedding?"

"Well. After so many attempts at trying to steal one of those pornographic novels out of Kakashi's hands, we found an opportunity to rummage through his desk one day after he stepped out of hte classroom. Kiba guarded the door for his imminent return as Shikamaru and I ransacked the desk drawers. We never found his hiding spot for his beloved dirty books."

"But?"

"But what we did find were plenty of dirty pictures of him in the act. And some were of Karin."

"Ew! Oh, my God!"

"Yeah, as a joke and maybe for blackmail, we kept some of the pictures. Shikamaru took some and hid them iunder a loose floorboard in his bedroom. I'll bet they're still there. I'll give him a call later."

"That's disgusting."

"Oh, yeah? You didn't see the pictures. They weren't all of him in the act with another person. Or with a woman."

"Oh, Jesus. I think I'm going to be sick. Please, stop!"

"Wait. There's more."

"Really? Why?"

"I need to get a hold of Kiba."

"Huh? Kiba? Oh, I'm surprised he isn't already here for the wedding."

"Yeah, I think he'll be here for the ceremony."

"He's still living in his father's house, isn't he? Naruto said that's where the bachelor party was being held. Have you heard from Naruto today, by the way?"

"Yeah. He was totally shit-faced last night, and he's totally hung over today. He's still sleeping it off over there with Kiba."

"Ooh, poor Naru-kun."

"Yeah. Poor perverted drunkard."

"Well, you missed your opportunity to join them."

"What? And miss you at 2:00 in the morning in that cute little pink outfit?"

"Shut up." She blushed. So cute, even though she isn't a teenager anymore. Still totally adorable. Freaking drop-dead gorgeous.

"Well, I need to call Kiba about a certain tape or two. Or ten; who knows?"

"What do you mean?"

"It seems that Karin the town whore happened to have a little fling back in the day with Kiba. Thing is, Kiba once or twice mentioned a little video camera he kept hidden in his closet-"

Sakura gasped. "Oh, my God!"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure he kept a few mementos of more than one girl. I'm sure I can find something there."

"So, what are you planning to do with all this stuff?"

"What do you think? I'm going to make a nice little wedding gift. I'm going to compose something. I just don't know where or when."

"We still have time. We'll figure something out. There's no way I'm letting my older brother marry the Bride of Satan, Miss Chlamydia. I can't believe he hasn't caught the clap from her, or that his dick hasn't rotted and fallen off."

Wow. I can't believe I let her get away.

"I love my brother too much to let something like this happen to him. This is just devastating. I can't tell my parents about her. No way. I'm. . .kind of glad you're willing to help me with this. . problem."

I sighed and sat back. Now that we were talking and on seemingly friendly terms (or at least talking civilly, no matter that we were plotting a way to break up an engagement), I know I need to come clean. I inched forward in my chair and laid my hands on the table surface, neatly folded together. This has been eating away at me for so long. . .these pangs of guilt. . .the putrid stench of my soul stewing in my own sorrow and regret. I don't even know how to handle something as delicate as this. My faalings. What do I do with them?

"Sakura. . .I. . .there's. . something I need to tell you. I. . .I'm. . you know, I don't do this often. Pretty much never, in fact. I don't even think I know how to. But I'm going to try. You see, I. . .well, I'm. . .just. . .I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. That night. . .I blamed you, and I shouldn't have. I jumped to conclusions. I don't know why. I got mixed up. Wires were crossed. I. . .I was drunk. I overreacted. I don't think there's anything I can do that could come close to making up for it. I. . .I'm just so sorry, Sakura. The last thing I ever really wanted to do was to hurt you. You were everything to me. I'm. . .I'm sorry."

Sakura sat there, stunned. Her eyes were as big as saucers, her jade green orbs shining under the fluorescent lights of the café. It took a minute for Sakura to collect her thoughts, but it was easy to tell when she did. She sat up straight in her chair and looked at me.

"Thanks, Sasuke. That means a lot. But I think it's about seven or eight years too late. It took you almost a full damn decade to even talk to me? And it was pretty much an accident? I had no idea you were going to show up at dinner last night. A total fucking surprise."

"And it was a total fucking surprise to have you looming over my sleeping body at 2:00 a.m."

"It's my house."

"It's your parents' house. But that wasn't your bedroom."

"I. . .I. . .you know I only came in to talk to you. When I was done, I quietly left. Nothing more."

"Maybe I wanted more." Her eyes grew big again, in shock.

"Sasuke, I. . .I-"

"Here's your drink, Miss. Peach iced tea. Have you had a chance to look at the menu?"

"Oh, yes. I'd like the half-soup, half, salad. For the soup, I'd like the Soup Du Jour, please."

"The broccoli cheddar?"

"Yes. And the house salad with fat-free Italian dressing, please."

"Great! And for you, Sir?" She made flirtatious eyes at me again, putting me on the spot. I just confessed my guilt and regret to Sakura in one fell swoop, something I had never done before, and now I'm getting hit on by a hot piece of jail bait. Terrific. Just terrific. I know that Sakura is watching and is quite aware of my predicament. Stevie Wonder could see my current predicament. I was a sitting duck in this damn café , with a handful of teenage girls drooling over me. I have to admit, though, it isn't the worst problem in the world to have. But right now, while I'm currently on a lunch "date" with the woman of my dreams and of my past, it is quite unfortunate.

"I'll have the Buffalo Chicken flatbread sandwich, with extra tomato. And an iced tea, please. No flavored tea - just plain iced tea."

"Sure thing! I'll make sure you get plenty of tomatoes, sweetie." She smiled broadly, a little too obvious, and skipped all the way back behind the counter.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me. I'll be that doesn't happen too often in the city, though."

"Well, there's plenty of good-looking guys in the city, but after that Goddamn magazine published that list of wealthy bachelors. . .it's killing me."

"Oh, really? I'm sure you're suffering."

"Sakura, don't be like that."

"Be like what? ou are an eligible bachelor. Why not flaunt it?"

"Because I never wanted to be a young bachelor. I just wanted you. And now that I can fairly easily have you. . .you don't-"

"Easy? You think I'm easy? So you just thought it was going to be easy, huh? You're unbelievable, Sasuke. You just think you're quite a catch, aren't you? You think you can apologize and think-"

"You have no fucking clue as to how hard it was for me to apologize, damn it. I did it in a public place, no less. I've never fully and blatantly apologized to anyone, Sakura. Believe me. _Never_ like this. You can damn well bet that I meant _every_ word of it, too. Every last bit."

Sakura huffed at me. She was irritated with me? Really? _She_ was irritated? My God, this woman is infuriating! Well, I should have known. She is a Haruno. I recognized that flare inside her, and I did my best to ignite the fire deep within her. When she's furious, she's amazing. She's rare, a real sight to behold. I doubt that there's any other woman in the world like her. It takes a real man to be able to control that kind of fire and passion. And as an Uchiha, I know I'm the kind of man to do it. And I'm the only match for this truly original woman.

"Look. I'm sorry, Sakura. That's not at all what I meant. I've. . missed you. I don't just want us to become friends." I reached over and unfolded one of her hands and rubbed the inside her soft, delicate palm with my strong fingers. We heard gasps from behind us. The girls behind the counter must be holding in their breaths. "Like I said, I want more."

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I paused to be able to take a second to dig it out and look at it. I have a text message from Kiba.

_******To: Uchiha Sasuke**_

** Hey, man. You busy?**

_******To: Inuzuka Kiba** _

**Yes, I am.**

_******To: Uchiha Sasuke**_

** What are you up to? Are you with a chick?**

_******To: Inuzuka Kiba**_

** Yes, actually. How did you know?  
**

_******To: Uchiha Sasuke**_

** Lucky guess. Is she hot?**

_******To: Inuzuka Kiba**_

** Why, yes. Yes, she is.  
**

_******To: Uchiha Sasuke** _

**What is she wearing?**

_******To: Inuzuka Kiba** _

**What the fuck do you want, you stupid bastard?**

_******To: Uchiha Sasuke**_

** Naruto wants us to meet him at the formal shop downtown for tux fittings. Can you make it in a couple of hours?**

_******To: Inuzuka Kiba**_

** Probably. What time?**

_******To: Uchiha Sasuke** _

**About 1:30 or 2:00. He has to run home and take a shower. He reeks.**

_******To: Inuzuka Kiba**_

** Okay.**

I put my cell phone next to my silverware, turning back to Sakura to once again give her my attention. Kiba didn't respond, so I assumed he was done texting. But I was wrong. About ten minutes later, after Sakura and I made small talk about work, Kiba texted me again:

_******To: Uchiha Sasuke**_

** Hey. Are you still with that chick?**

_******To: Inuzuka Kiba**_

** Yes. Now go away.**

******To: Uchiha Sasuke**

**What is she wearing?**

_******To: Inuzuka Kiba**_

** Shut up, damn it. We're busy.**

_******To: Uchiha Sasuke**_

** Does that mean you're _busy_ busy?**

_******To: Inuzuka Kiba**_

** What? I guess. Now go away.**

_******To: Uchiha Sasuke**_

** So you're getting busy. So I guess that means she ain't wearing anything.**

_******To: Inuzuka Kiba**_

** What? Shut up, damn it! Stop it!**

_******To: Uchiha Sasuke** _

**How big are her breasts? Cs? Ds? DDs?**

_******To: Inuzuka Kiba**_

** Oh, come on.**

_******To: Uchiha Sasuke**_

** Just Cs, then?**

_******To: Inuzuka Kiba**_

** No.**

_**To: Uchiha Sasuke**_

**Aha! DDs! You wouldn't have gotten offended, otherwise!**

_******To: Inuzuka Kiba**_

** Damn it. Fuck off, you perverted son of a bitvh.**

_**To: Inuzuka Kiba**_

***bitch**

**_To: Uchiha Sasuke_  
**

**. . .Umm, okay. Is she a screamer?**

_**To: Inuzuka Kiba**_

**I'm turning my phone off now. I'll see you soon. You're dead, Inuzuka.**

I pressed the button and held it until my screen turned to the sign off screen. Then it went black. I put it back on the table.

"Who was that? It must have been interesting. You look a little pissed."

"Oh, I am. Kiba. He's a dick."

"I could've told you that."

"Yeah." The waitress came with our food orders, not nearly as happy as she was before. The girls behind the counter must have spread the word about my and Sakura's moment of PDA. Ooh, public display of affection. So taboo. Well, she _was_ told that we weren't a couple. But this girl had no business-

"Here you go. Your sandwich." As promised, there were plenty of tomotoes on the side. She also brought out an extra small plate of tomato slices. Hell, I just might fall in love with this girl, too.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. And your iced tea." That was a fake smile if I ever saw one. And I have. This girl was completely irked at me now. I just hoped she didn't spit in Sakura's soup. I'm pretty sure she'd get fired for something such as that, though.

"And your soup and salad, Ma'am." She was even less enthusiastic about serving poor Sakura. Her soup almost sloshed over the side of the bowl. Her salad slid to one side of the plate. Wow.

"I'll come back to check on you in a few minutes. Any refills?"

"No thank y-"

"Alright, then." The young girl took off her baseball cap with the café 's logo and spat that she was on break, loud enough for me and Sakura to hear. Sakura actually seemed amused.

"Well, this is nice." I smirked, also way too amused at the. . .entertainment, of sorts. I picked up my tall glass of iced tea. My paper napkin stuck to the bottom of the cup, but I took a sip anyway. The honey amber liquid felt nice going down my throat in a big gulp. But I almost choked. I opened my eyes and was surprised at what I saw in the bottom of my glass.

"Are you alright?" Sakura looked on from the other side of the table, very concerned.

"Yeah. It's just-" I pulled the stuck square paper napkin from the bottom of my glass. I put it back on the table and slid it to Sakura, who cracked up at the sight written on the paper napkin:

_Hailey Patrick_

_555-9018_

Oh, damn. What a tricky player. She's got guts, I'll give her that. She even left an imprint of light pink lip gloss on it. Wow. Sakura picked up the napkin and sniffed it for some reason.

"Why did you sniff it?"

"Watermelon-flavored lip gloss."

"Oh, for the love of God. Just toss it, Sakura." I began eating my sandwich. Not bad.

"No." Sakura chuckled darkly. I saw an evil glint in her eye as she pulled it under the table. I supposed she stuffed it into her handbag-thing, or whatever that beige-colored thing was. Oh, what the fuck. What do I care? I'll let Sakura do anything. What ever the Hell she wants. That's my woman over there, delicately eating a salad and femininely sipping soup. And as God as my witness (or even with Hailey Patrick as my witness), I'll win Sakura back.

"Sakura, I. . ."

"So what did you mean earlier, about. . ."

"About what?"

"When you said. . .you wanted. . .more. What did you mean?"

I sighed. "Sakura, you know what I meant. You should know that you can't just stop loving someone. I still love you, even after all these years." I reached over the table and took her delicate, porcelain hands in mine. We heard a few gasps from behind the counter. "I never forgot about you. I wanted to call you, to beg and plead for you to take me back. But I. . .I chickened out. I did. I didn't have the courage to do what I should've done a long time ago. I know you can't ever forgive me, because I've done something so terrible. I wasn't here for you when I should have been comforting you. But that day. . .on my high school graduation day. . .I went to the hospital to see ou. I lied and snuck up to your floor. I didn't get past the window, though. You stepmother intercepted me. She sat me down and told me it would never work out. Not a that time, at least. Then she told me that you didn't _keep_ the baby. No one ever told me that the fall itself caused a miscarriage. I never knew, until you told me list night."

Sakura exhaled heavily and slowly. "This is a lot to take in, Sasuke. I. . .I have so many things going on right now. I'm about to be promoted at work, and I have a huge project I'm working on. This. . .I don't know. I don't think it's going to work out."

"You'll never know until you try. Hell, we live and work in the same city, within walking distance of each other. We come from the same hometown. We already love each other. It's perfect."

"I never said I love you, Sasuke." With that said, Sakura stood up, tossed her towel onto her plate of mostly-eaten salad and made to stand up and walk out on me. But I just couldn't let that happen. I also stood up and faced utter humility.

"Sakura, wait."

She stopped and turned.

"I love you. I still love you. Please, give me a chance. We can start over. We can pick up where we left off. Anything. I. . .I just don't want to lose you again. I lost my brother; I don't want to lose you, too. I don't have anyone else left who gives a damn about me. My coworkers? Hell no. My parents never even gave me the time of day. Itachi was the only one who really spent time with me. The only one who asked me how my day was, how football practice was coming along. How. . .how I felt. You care, though. You can't tell me you'll never have feelings for me again."

"What if I don't, Sasuke? Huh? What then?"

"Then I'm calling you a liar."

Sakura looked a bit surprised, yet again. But she turned around and, to my amazement, sat back down. After I recollected myself, I also sat back down.

"Thank you, Sakura."

"I'm not promising anything."

"That's fine. Just give me a chance."

"One. One chance, and that's it."

"Thank you, Sakura."

* * *

**A/N: This was kind of a long chapter! Hooray! And I got it done in a reasonable amount of time! Please don't forget to review!** Opinions of Itachi's demise are still welcome (for a clue as to what I'm talking about, please read the footnotes on the last two chapters)!


	9. Chapter 9

Pink With Envy

* * *

**Sakura's POV**

I felt trapped, like a caged animal. I had to get out of that restaurant. I couldn't. . .I just couldn't look Sasuke in the eyes and tell him no! I mean, how fucking hard does that have to be, you know? Why can't I just say it? "No." "No!" "NO!" "Fucking Hell NO!" See? This isn't rocket science, people. But I, the semi-famous, witty, hard-working, intelligent and very capable Haruno woman, could not tell my Uchiha counterpart to go fuck himself. I could not. I choked. No, I bent backwards in the entirely opposite damn direction. Oh, how I've longed for this moment! All through my remaining two years of high school (and through some parts of college), I'd lie awake at night, thinking of the many different scenarios that could play out. All, of course, left me with the upper hand, with Sasuke crawling on his knees and begging me to take him back. But when I talked to my stepmother about it, she (metaphorically) slammed her foot down on mine to painfully force me back into reality. My anger just wasn't fair. My hostility. My grudge.

Because I still loved him. I still love him.

So here I am, finding myself flying straight back into my birdcage. And Sasuke slammed the little wire door. I'm right back at square one, stuck looking outside through thin metal bars, like I am his prisoner. Captive. Slave. The complete opposite of how I had imagined so many times.

If I were fifteen years old again, I would have jumped into his arms and waited for him to whisk me away. Off into the sunset. My Prince Charming. But that stubborn, volatile jackass I left at the café was not my Prince Charming. You see, I've done a lot of "growing up," if you will, in the past six or eight years. Sasuke's actions devastated me to the core. I was recovering from injuries from a brutal bullying attack gone sour, and I had lost my baby in the process. But alas, I was knocked up by an Uchiha, so it was doomed to get worse. Like my stepmother told me, "An Uchiha tends to forget about the inconveniences of others when they are suddenly the least bit inconvenienced."

Bingo. There was no concern for my well-being. Sasuke did not care that I was alive, recovering well but slowly. Sasuke did not care to notice my utter anguish from losing my baby. I honestly never believed that losing Sasuke was worse than losing my baby. He never even came close. I know that I could have easily moved on from that pompous, arrogant son of a bitch. But because he had a fling with Little Miss Slut, my soon-to-be sister-in-law (as if I didn't have enough fucking problems), I was a target for her bullying. I was no longer a complete dork, nor did I really face ridicule or harassment from any others in my high school years. Well, some others who were familiar with Karin did enjoy taking jabs at me at my expense when Karin wasn't around to do the job adequately. But nothing ever escalated until after my little makeover, when Sasuke became interested in me.

Aha. It wasn't until I showed up to the dance in a smoking hot costume with an equally-hot fresh, new look that Sasuke even noticed me. I agreed to that transforming, life-altering makeover for myself. I thought I needed a new life. But Sasuke took advantage of me. Our first time was when I was not at all sober and therefore unable to consent to his ministrations. That is called rape. And yes, I did regret it. What would my parents think? Naruto? My grandparents? My friends? I really thought that I was as bad as Karin. So I stayed with Sasuke in an attempt to justify my newfound carnal desires. Did he do the same? Or did he stay with me so I wouldn't get upset and go to the cops to scream rape. After all, we wouldn't want to endanger his chances to play college football. . .oh, wait. He screwed himself over by playing like an arrogant, self-important dick on the field. I felt like a whore if I didn't stay with him, not noticing that I felt the same way when I _was_ with him. Hell, I didn't even know what I was doing most of the time. I just did whatever Sasuke told me to and tried to follow my instincts or signs my body was showing me. In turn, Sasuke made me feel pleasure and taught me only what he likes, like I was some fucking sex toy built only for his pleasure. Then, like an Uchiha, when things didn't go his way and he ended up not getting something he wanted, he immediately blamed me. What the Hell? He did not even stop to notice that we wanted the same goddamn thing. Only I think I wanted it more. I told him numerous times how sure I was that my family would support me. He could have ducked tail and run. I honestly wish he did. That wouldn't have hurt nearly as much as him coming into my bedroom while I was injured and defenseless to call me a liar, a whore and a murderer.

If this stupid son of a bitch only knew what was going through my mind right now. . .

If he was not so fucking stupid. . .

. . .then maybe he would have noticed that I swiped his fucking cell phone off the table before I left.

What's this, his iPhone in a black Otter Box case? Well, I still have almost twenty minutes before Ino will be joining me for ice cream. So, let's just see what Mr. Uchiha, all-important lawyer at his daddy's company, has been up to recently. I heard from TenTen about his escapades with one NYC-stationed international model. She was Russian, maybe. No, I think she was possibly Ukranian. Her name was Anya. . .Ana. . .Anita. . .something short and sweet like that. He would take her to events, business dinners, conferences, etc. He had been photographed with her on several occasions.

Anya Slovenac. I think that was it. There it is, the young woman's contact information in Sasuke's cell phone.

Anya is a gorgeous, slender, leggy 24-year-old (I'm almost 24, you cold-hearted bastard!) Ukranian model who really would like to try to break into the acting arena. The problem is that she is incredibly boring. Yeah, she's beautiful. And yeah, she's loaded due to a very lucrative contract. And yeah, she has an appealing accent. But I have three things on her she can never have: my beautiful pink hair is totally natural (as is my chest, you slutty Ukranian Barbie); I'm loaded and successful because I have brain cells that actually function to the best of their abilities, or damn near it; and I stole Sasuke Uchiha's heart first. And I recently learned that I have yet to give it back.

Come to think of it, there was a young woman in the next lineup of girls when I was backstage at Ayame's fashion show. . .was that bitch in there with me? Did she overhear Ayame blurt out those things about me and Sasuke? Was she one of the ones who gasped when they heard how close Sasuke and I were? Yes, Anya, that's right. Sasuke was ready to be a father to our baby and sweep me away to be with him, forever and always. So fuck you.

But what exactly went on between Sasuke and Anya? Are they still seeing each other? Does Sasuke just want to take advantage of our close quarters and then leave me again once all is said and done with between Naruto and Karin? Excuse me for being overly suspicious, but I just don't trust that son of a bitch. He _is_ an Uchiha, after all. He's a liar, cheater, and. . .and a murderer. Just what have I missed? I was too busy trying to forget him that I didn't take notice of. . .well, that would definitely be a headliner. Why wasn't Sasuke charged with a crime? Why didn't TenTen and Hinata run and tell me when they heard about this? Have they heard about this? What do they know?

I have to call Hinata and TenTen.

*ring*

'Pick up, Hinata.'

*ri-*

"Hey, girl. What's up?"

"Hey. Is TenTen with you?"

"Huh? Yeah. She's fixing us something to eat for lunch. We didn't wake up until late."

"Why? Oh, that's not important. Listen. . .what have you heard about Itachi recently?"

"Sasuke's brother? He died, Sakura."

Oh. so she did know.

"Well, I didn't know that until last night."

"Oh. Really?"

"What happened?"

"They said it was a drug overdose or something. Maybe a drug deal gone bad."

'Oh, really? That isn't what I was told.'

"Oh. Where was he killed?"

"Killed? Sakura, he probably overdosed by accident. There wasn't any suspicion of. . .you know. . .foul play."

'I wasn't suspicious about any of this, but now. . .'

"Thanks, Hinata."

"No problem. Why did you want to know?"

"Well, I didn't know anything about it until yesterday. But. . .there's something else. What do you know about that model named Anya Slovenac?"

"Huh? I don't think. . .here, TenTen."

"Hello? Girls?"

"Hey, Saks! Where you at, girl? I'm cooking good stuff over here!" It was TenTen now. Well, at least she'll be brutally honest. Brutality is TenTen's middle name.

"I'm out and about downtown, meeting a few old friends. Not business, I swear."

"For your sake, you'd better hope so. Do you want me to disconnect the internet from your phone? I'll call the cell pho-"

"No, I'm not doing work. I'm getting ice cream. Seriously. Now, I had a question about Anya Slovenac."

Silence.

"TenTen?"

"Sasuke's arm candy?"

Damn that son of a bitch. "Yeah."

"Yeah. I was wondering why he didn't bring her. I guess she isn't up for it if it doesn't involve a ton of paparazzi."

I gritted my teeth. "So, what do you know about her?"

"Huh? Why are you interested in her all of a sudden?"

"Do you know if they're dating?"

"Saks. Obsessed much?"

"Just curious. Do you know?"

"Yeah. They haven't confirmed a relationship or anything, but. . .I'm on my phone now. This celebrity gossip site has a picture of them. They were last seen eating dinner together at a fancy-shmancy place in the city about. . .let's see. . .that was just four days ago."

Son of a bitch. Son of a bitch. Son of a bitch.

"Oh, okay. Thanks, TenTen."

"Wait, Saks. Why were you asking?"

"Curiosity. I wasn't sure whether she was at that fashion show we were at. I thought I saw her. I don't know, though."

"Oh, okay. Here's Hinata again."

"Okay, see you lat-"

"Oh, Sakura." Hinata again. " So, do you want to come over to my parents' house? We're making something yummy. . .probably!"

"Oh, not thanks. I already ate. I'm actually waiting on an old friend. I'm meeting her for ice cream."

"Oh, sounds yummy!"

"Can't your mom make you two something to eat?"

"They aren't in, but the cook is! I think I can hear him now. . .yep. He's yelling at TenTen for misusing the pans or something. She said she wanted to make us some fried turkey sandwiches, but wasn't happy when the turkey was oven-baked. So now. . .now she's trying to burn down my house! Oh my gosh, I see smoke. Sak- I gotta go! Bye!"

"Hinata, use-"

-click-

". . .baking soda on grease fires." 'Please, girls. Just don't throw oil on there. Or gasoline. Hell, I don't know what they're doing.'

Well, so much for talking to the girls about my current fiasco. I'll have to get a hold of them later. I bet I probably can't get through the night without-

"Sakura?" Shit. I almost forgot!

I turned to look over my shoulder. There she was.

"Ino! Oh, my gosh!" I stood up. We both gave friendly hugs. We broke apart delicately, and Ino walked over to the other side and set her purse down in her chair.

"Have you eaten some ice cream yet?"

"Oh, no. Not yet. I wanted to try some of the self-serve frozen yogurt from the bar. This is such a cute little ice cream bar!"

"Yes, it is. I can't tell my little man that I was here without him. This is his favorite place."

"Oh, how sweet. I can't wait to meet your little guy."

"Evan is such a sweetheart. You'll love him. He's at his grandparents' house right now."

"Does your Dad still work with the city?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. It doesn't pay what it used to, but he's been hanging in there until he can retire. Your Dad seemed to be able to retire happily."

"Yeah. He seems happy. He still acts like a leader of the community, though. I don't think a hurricane could make him leave."

Ino laughed. "I don't think we'll be in any danger of a hurricane here anytime soon, Sakura."

"Oh, true. We're not really very close to the ocean, huh?"

"No." She giggled a little under hear breath. She reached into her purse to grab her wallet.

"Oh, no. Please let me. It's not exactly a 5-star restaurant or anything, but please. My treat."

"Well, okay, then. But just this once."

Ino led me to a stack of paper cups. To our right was a wall of spigots, where you pull a lever to dispense a thick ribbon of frozen yogurt. We filled our cups through self-servings of rows of flavors. I combined sugar-free chocolate and cake batter flavors. I topped it with brownie pieces and hot fudge. I have no clue what concoction was in Ino's cup, but it looked just as good. I paid for our treats, and we walked back to our table.

"So, Sakura. What's up with you lately?"

"Oh. Work. Lots and lots of it. This is kind of like a vacation for me."

"Oh. That sounds very stressful."

"Stressful? Ino, you're a mom! I think my stress pales in comparison."

"Well, I don't know. When you're a mom, it's a kind of enjoyable stress. I'll complain about it, but I wouldn't give it up."

I sighed internally. "So, what's it like to be a mom?"

"Oh. Heaven. Yeah, babies stink. Yeah, they cry. And don't get me started about Terrible Twos and tantrums. But they're a part of you. Evan will always have my heart, no matter what. He _is_ my heart."

"It sounds wonderful."

"It's kind of hard when you're trying to keep up with expenses, but. . .my parents have been great. My mom inherited the flower shop from my father's parents, but can't keep up with it herself. That's where I came in."

"I heard about the chain flower shop opening up on the other end of town. Has that hurt your business much?"

"Oh, that corporate store? We don't even call it a shop. It has taken a toll, but people in our cozy little town know our sources come from some of the state's top botanical experts. Better Homes and Gardens just visited one family, Mr. and Mrs. Flannagan in White Bluff. It's that town about twenty minutes North of Sandersville. They have a vast farm of greenhouses, where they grow many different breeds of roses, carnations, tulips, and much more. Stuff I probably can't pronounce correctly. But our customers eat that stuff up."

"Oh, yes. But are you advertising that?"

"Huh? Oh, well, people know well enough."

"Yes, but you need to be advertising that. How are you advertising for the store now?"

Ino took another bite and stuck her spoon in the side of a chocolate lump in her cup. "Well, there's the Rockport Gazette, and. . .flyers that we post around big holidays. . .and. . ."

"Have you considered a commercial?"

"Oh, Sakura. I don't know if we can afford that. Our advertising budget is. . well, practically non-existent."

"Local advertising may be a lot more affordable than you think. Larger media companies with local offices usually even have new client incentives. It's like commercials going on sale."

"Whoa. That sounds pretty awesome."

"I'll look around at some affordable deals for you, if you'd like. It's what I do, after all."

"No, Sakura. You don't have to. You just said tat this was like a vacation for you."

"Oh, please! Hinata and TenTen have been threatening my livelihood over doing work for the office while I'm here, and I'm kind of 'jonesing' for some media work to do. I'm not used to being without a client to pamper. So why not let me do it pro-bono, friend to friend? They can't skewer me over that. It's like volunteer work, since I'm volunteering. And hey, you'll never know what I can turn up. Even I don't know until I find it."

"Oh, well, if you're sure. . ."

"I'm totally sure." I took another lustful bite of this sinful frozen creation of mine. Damn, this was pretty good. Gelato who?

"Well, now that we're speaking on such good terms again. . .can I tell you something?"

"Sure, Ino. What is it?"

"I. . .uh. . .um. . .I don't think that. . .Karin is a good match for your brother."

I paused and held my spoon over my cup so it wouldn't drip.

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, isn't it obvious, Sakura? To put it nicely, Karin is a bitch. She has changed a bit since high school, but her personality is the same. I. . .I don't really want to have anything to do with her anymore. Evan is kind of scared by her."

So my suspicions were correct. The Karin I remember is still bubbling beneath the surface. Sorry, Mom. You must be wrong about Karin. You're probably wrong about Sasuke, too.

"Well, Ino, I actually wasn't thinking that this engagement was going to last."

"What? The wedding is coming up fast. I don't know. . .Karin has Naruto wrapped around her finger. The Karin we all know. . .she shows him nothing of this. He thinks she's an angel."

I scoffed. '_Angel_ my ass.' "Well, the string can be unwound."

"What are you saying, Sakura?"

I hesitated, trying to gauge Ino. How would she take this? Can I trust her? Is she here as a spy for Karin? Well, I decided to take a risk. It's not like Karin could stop me, anyway.

"I'm going to let Naruto see the real Karin."

Ino took another bite of her frozen yogurt.

"Well, I'm in."

I choked on my spoonful. 'That was quick.'

"What? What do you mean by that?"

Ino blinked. "I'm in. I'm done with her. Seriously. I don't want her near my son, either; she is far from a good influence. He's terrified of her, anyway. And your brother totally deserves someone so much better. I think the only reason why she wants to marry your brother is because of this stupid clause in his contract."

A red flag waved in front of me. . .or whacked me in the face, rather.

"Huh? A clause? In what contract?"

"Oh, Karin started bragging a few days before the engagement about Naruto getting that big promotion. She knew it meant big bucks, considering the chatter all around them. I mean, nothing was in writing yet, but Naruto could feel it in his bones. Superiors kept dropping hints even he could read. Karin took notice of the contract the day he signed it, about three weeks ago. She went with Naruto and his lawyer. She went nuts over a clause that read about how the company was going to do things for the family."

"What kind of things?"

Ino leaned in even closer and spoke barely above a whisper.

"Well, Naruto's company is paying to ship everything to Arizona. They bought them a very nice house with a short commute. They've leased a company car to Naruto - a Mercedes - since the car company sponsors the show. They wanted the anchors to be driving the product. Nice, huh? Oh, and don't get me started on endorsements. One of the other anchors, a former basketball player for Indiana State, is doing a commercial for some drug that speeds up your metabolism as you work out. It's a seven-figure deal, or so Karin said. She knows she really hit the jackpot with your brother."

Oh, Hell. That stupid bitch is going to be hard to get rid of. She has something she's willing to fight for. Money and expensive things.

* * *

**Sasuke's POV**

What in the Hell is wrong with me? I just poured my heart out to Sakura. The second she walked into the restaurant, I couldn't control myself. I was a blubbering idiot. I asked her to take me back. That isn't me. That hasn't been like me since. . .before we broke up. Okay, so I messed that up. I thought she suddenly had second thoughts about being a teenage mother. But I never knew something even more horrible could've happened. It makes me sick just to think about it. So I won't. I'll have to learn to deal with it later.

Since I left for college when I was 18, I couldn't stop seeing light pink hair and bright viridian eyes on every girl I tried to date. They thought I was a typical flaky guy, but I really just couldn't connect with anyone. They weren't like her. Not to mention that Sakura feels like she's made for me, whether she's in my arms or just in my close vicinity. She. . .fits me like a glove. Oh, holy Hell. I can't stop thinking about how I'd love to wear her right now. She looked freaking fantastic this afternoon. That short, billowy skirt alone almost brought me to my knees. That tank top showed off her perfect chest. Her slender legs were perfectly poised in those shoes. Her hair. . .I always loved to run my fingers through her pink locks. It isn't too thick, but not stringy or thin. Sakura has great hair. She also has a great body. And those eyes. The piercing emerald eyes. Oh, damn. I've missed her. She'll be the death of me, that girl.

But she said we could take things slow. That was all she'd agree to. Did she really turn me down? Or was she just using me in order to stop Karin from marrying her brother? Perhaps she just needs an accomplice. . .or a scapegoat.

Can I trust Sakura? She didn't seem too convinced that I was still in love with her. What the fuck do I have to do to prove it to her?

I picked myself up off my hotel bed and stood close to the bathroom door. Yeah, I just couldn't stay in Sakura's house, whether or not Naruto would be there. I unbuckled my belt and pulled off my pants, letting them fall into a pool at my ankles. I stepped out, using my feet to kick off one sock, but the other one was being difficult. I leaned against the wall for balance and brought my foot up so I could slip the second sock off. I tossed it close to the clothing pile. Then I could unbutton my shirt. Now that those items are off, I was comfortably left in my white undershirt and crimson boxers. Rubbing fatigue from my face with both my hands (I looked shockingly similar to Edvard Munch's famous screaming subject) and letting my palms gently scrape on my rapidly-approaching five o'clock shadow, I walked over to the television set, ready to turn it on, but I just couldn't sit down and concentrate on any mind-numbing network program that other locals enjoyed. I walked back over to my pile of discarded clothing and, deciding that my expensive suit deserved better treatment than this, I moved to hang it up on the empty side of my closet until I could get my clothing sent out to the cleaners. I reached into the pants pocket to fish out my wallet. I looked in my jacket pocket for my phone, since it wasn't in my pocket. Nope, it wasn't there. Now I started to panic. Where is my phone? Did I leave it at the café ? Oh, shit.

I raked through my bags and found my "simple clothes," which were a few plain t-shirts or favorite band tees and a couple pairs of well-worn cargo shorts. I picked out my pair of dark khaki cargos I've worn for about four years now, paired it with a burgundy t-shirt advertising some athletic event I attended while in college, and slipped on a worn, snug baseball cap that doesn't really match. Who cares at this point? I've already been humiliated in public by the girl I'm falling for all over again. Hell, I never fell out of love with her. There had been a terrible mistake, and now I'm paying out the ass for it. Goddamn it.

I stepped out of my hotel room and walked down the corridor to the elevator while pulling out a stick of gum. I pressed the button with the arrow facing down. The elevator's display said it was on the eleventh floor, and I was on the ninth. So I waited patiently until the elevator came down my way. When it opened, I almost choked to death on my gum. I was extremely shocked at what I found.

* * *

**A/N:** Much-delayed, like the other story! Eh, I just now made an effort to complete this one. The original plot sounded boring after a wihle, so I came back to it and switched it up with a fresh perspective!


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